BEIJING, December 20. /TASS/. The number of people killed by a devastating earthquake in northwest China has risen to 131, the country’s Central Television reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, 113 people died in the northwestern province of Gansu and 18 - in the western province of Qinghai.

A series of tremors with the magnitude of up to 6.2 rattled Gansu on Monday. The epicenter of the seismic event was located at a depth of 10 kilometers. At the time of the disaster, the temperature dropped to -14 degrees Celsius (6.8 degrees Fahrenheit) at night. The disaster-hit areas are located in the highlands, about 2,000 meters above sea level. The authorities in Gansu raised their earthquake emergency response to the second-highest level.

More than 150,000 buildings in Gansu were either damaged or destroyed. Around 500 people were injured. At least 2,000 rescuers are involved in the search and rescue operation.