A total of 118 people have lost their lives, with 580 others injured following an earthquake that occurred overnight on Tuesday, December 19, 2023, in China.

According to Reuters, the earthquake, measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale, struck the mountainous region on the northern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Rescue efforts have been challenging due to the harsh cold weather in the area, raising concerns of a potential increase in casualties.

The China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) reported that the quake also affected Jishishan County in the northwestern Chinese province of Gansu.

Nevertheless, earthquakes are common in western regions such as Gansu, located on the eastern border of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

In recent decades in China, the most significant earthquake occurred in 2008, measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale and claiming approximately 70,000 lives.