Powerful Earthquakes in Central China Kill 75, Injure 600

At least 75 are dead and nearly 600 were injured after two earthquakes and hundreds of aftershocks struck central China.

The first quake near Dingxi city, in Gansu province, about 1,200 kilometers west of Beijing, had a magnitude of 5.9. About an hour later a 5.6-magnitude quake hit the same region. Both earthquakes were at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the US Geological Survey, however Gansu province officials report the depth at just 6 kilometers.

Independent earthquake news site Earthquake-Report indicated that 75 people are confirmed dead, at least 14 are missing and 584 have been treated for injuries so far.

More than 400 aftershocks, some of them greater than magnitude-5 have occurred, according to Earthquake-Report.

The Chinese Central Disaster Management team has taken the lead in rescue and relief efforts. China's earthquake response practices are regarded as some of the most efficient in the world, according to Earthquake-Report.

The Gansu military police have deployed 500 soldiers, including 120 specialist rescuers, while 500 emergency tents and 2,000 quilts are also being transported to affected areas, the BBC reported, citing China's official news outlet Xinhua. Firefighters and rescue dogs are also on the scene.

The Chinese Red Cross said it was shipping 200 tents, 1,000 sets of household items, and 2,000 jackets to the area and sending teams from both Lanzhou and Beijing to help with relief work and assess further needs, CTV News reported.

Collateral damage form the quakes is high, with at least 5,600 houses in Zhangxian county seriously damaged and 380 collapsed. Some areas lost electricity and mobile communications, the BBC reported, again citing Chinese earthquake administration officials.

A doctor based in Minxian county told Reuters that many were injured by collapsing houses. Many more were jolted by the tremor.

"I was thrown off the couch while watching television," a Dingxi man identified as Tu was quoted as saying by the website of the official People's Daily newspaper. "It was only when I was on the ground that I realized it was an earthquake and when I couldn't reach my daughter on the phone I began to be frightened," said the man, according to CTV News.

Min county in Diinxi's rural southern region was reportedly the worst hit, where the majority of those injured were likely affected by shoddy building construction. CTV News reports that all but three of the deaths, all of the missing and most of the injured were in Min county.