BEIJING, December 19. /TASS/. A 6.5-magnitude earthquake has struck northwest China, with the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai suffering heavy damage. According to the latest data, at least 116 people were killed and up to 500 injured.

The tremors were felt throughout the mountains in the region, including other parts of China, India and Russia. The quake was also felt in Kazakhstan.

TASS has gathered the main information about what happened.

What happened

- The worst destruction was recorded in the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai in northwestern China.

- At least 116 people died and up to 500 were injured.

- In the Qinghai cities of Xining and Haidong, houses have collapsed and been damaged, water and power supplies have been cut to a number of settlements, and transportation has been disrupted.

- The conditions for rescuers to work are not easy: the temperature drops to -14 degrees Celsius (6.8 degrees Fahrenheit) at night, and the disaster areas are located in the highlands, about 2,000 meters above sea level.

How authorities are responding

- At least 1,500 people are involved in the rescue efforts. Chinese Emergency Management Minister Wang Xiangxi has left for to the site of the incident.

- Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered that every effort be made to search and rescue people, as well as eliminate the consequences of the earthquake in Gansu.

Where tremors are recorded

- A series of tremors with of up to 6.2 in magnitude were recorded at midnight Beijing time (4:00 p.m. GMT) at a depth of 10 km.

- The 4.5-magnitude earthquake was registered in Russia’s Kemerovo Region.

- The 5.5-magnitude quake was registered in India in the Ladakh Region, which borders China.

- The Chinese earthquake was felt in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty.