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The death toll from the 6,2-magnitude earthquake that struck northwest China's Gansu and Qinghai provinces on December 18 has risen to 116. More than 200 more people were injured. TASS reports this with reference to local media.
The tremors were recorded at 23:59 Beijing time in Liugou Jishishan-Bao'an-Dongxiang Salar Autonomous County, Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province. The outbreak lay at a depth of 10 km.
Chinese authorities have introduced the second of four levels of emergency response to the earthquake.
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered that every effort be made to search and rescue people, as well as eliminate the consequences of the earthquake.
The earthquake destroyed or damaged thousands of homes in several communities in Gansu and Qinghai provinces. In some places, water and energy supplies have been interrupted and transport links have been disrupted.
Search and rescue efforts are complicated by cold weather and geographic conditions. At night at the time of the earthquake, the temperature outside dropped to -14 degrees.