At least 3 killed in NW China earthquake

At least three people were killed in the earthquake which hit a juncture region of two counties in northwest China's Gansu Province Monday morning, local authorities said.

The 6.6-magnitude quake occurred at 7:45 a.m. at the junction of the Minxian County and Zhangxian County, the Gansu Provincial Seismological Bureau said.

Three people from the Minxian County have been confirmed dead, according to the provincial earthquake-relief department. More casualties are still being counted.

Sources with the Minxian County government said most of the townships in the county have been hit by the quake.

The local people in Minxian County said strong tremor was felt and they saw noticeable shake of trees and homes, adding that the quake lasted for about one minute.

Meanwhile, the earthquake was also felt in neighboring cities of Dingxi, Longnan, Tianshui, as well as the provincial capital city of Lanzhou.

The cities of Xi'an, Baoji and Xianyang in neighboring Shaanxi Province were also reported to have felt the quake.

A man surnamed Li from the Xi'an City said he felt a strong shake when he was sleeping as he was living on the 31st floor of a high residential building.

The epicenter, with a depth of 20 km, was monitored at 34.5 degrees north latitude and 104.2 degrees east longitude, said the center.