at least 86 dead after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake in the northwest of the country

At least 86 people were killed in a 5.9 magnitude earthquake that struck northwest China on Monday, December 18, destroying buildings, the official Xinhua news agency announced. Emergency management and firefighting services were called to intervene following this earthquake which occurred at 11:59 p.m. (4:59 p.m. in Paris) and which affected regions of the province of Gansu and the neighboring province of Qinghai.

The earthquake occurred at a depth of ten kilometers, said the American Institute of Geophysics (USGS), about a hundred kilometers southwest of the capital of Gansu province, Lanzhou. It was followed by several aftershocks. From the first tremors, many residents rushed into the streets.

Images posted on social media show collapsed ceilings and debris littering the tracks. Earthquakes are common in China. In August, a 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck the east of the country, injuring 23 people and causing dozens of buildings to collapse.