Xi Jinping orders all-out efforts after M6.2 earthquake in NW China

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged all-out search and rescue efforts and proper arrangements for those affected to ensure the safety of people's lives and property after a magnitude-6.2 earthquake jolted Jishishan County in northwest China's Gansu Province at midnight on Monday.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, gave the instruction after the quake, calling for minimizing casualties.

The quake occurred at 11:59 p.m. Monday and has a focal depth of 10 km. The epicenter Liugou Township is about 8 km from the county seat of Jishishan in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu.

In Gansu alone, the death toll from the earthquake has risen to 105, according to local authorities. The quake also caused 13 deaths in neighboring Qinghai Province, causing damage to infrastructure facilities, such as the water and electricity supply, transportation and telecommunications.