MOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to Chinese leader Xi Jinping over a devastating earthquake that killed at least 118 people in northwest China last night.

"Please accept my deepest condolences on the deadly aftermath of an earthquake in the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai," Putin said in his message posted on the Kremlin website.

The epicenter of the seismic event, estimated at a magnitude of 6.2, was located at a depth of 10 kilometers. The authorities in Gansu raised their earthquake emergency response to the second-highest level.

Over 1,500 emergency workers are currently taking part in the rescue effort.