Authorities have mobilised an array of emergency responses, but rescue work has proved challenging in subzero temperatures. Most of China was grappling with freezing temperatures as a cold wave swept across the country.
Earthquakes are common in western provinces such as Gansu which lie on the eastern boundary of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, a tectonically active area. China's deadliest quake in recent decades was in 2008 when a magnitude-8.0 temblor struck Sichuan, killing nearly 70,000 people.
At 11:59 p.m. local time (1559 GMT) on Monday, the latest quake struck Jishishan county in Gansu at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), according to China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).
The epicentre was 5 km from the border between Gansu and a neighbouring province, Qinghai, where strong tremors were also felt.
