Chinese authorities have put emergency measures in place after a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck northwestern Gansu province on Monday, killing at least 86 people, AFP reported.

earthquake – image from inside USGS USGSPhoto: Dan Leeth / Alamy / Alamy / Profimedia

RENEWAL The death toll in China as a result of the earthquake has reached 86, Xinhua reports citing officials, Reuters reports. The first balance spoke of eight dead.

Emergency management and fire departments were dispatched to respond to the 5.9-magnitude earthquake, according to the USGS.

The earthquake struck at 15:59 GMT at a depth of ten kilometers, according to the USGS, which initially reported a magnitude of 6, about a hundred kilometers southwest of the provincial capital of Lanzhou. The earthquake was accompanied by several aftershocks.

According to Xinhua News, regions in Gansu Province and neighboring Qinghai Province were affected and many residents took to the streets.

Earthquakes in China are a common phenomenon. In August, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 occurred in the east of the country, as a result of which 23 people were injured and dozens of buildings were destroyed.