BEIJING, China (AP) — At least 116 people died when an earthquake brought buildings down in northwestern China, state media reported Tuesday, as rescue workers began digging through the rubble in freezing temperatures.

At least 105 people were killed and nearly 400 injured in Gansu province after the strong, shallow quake struck around midnight, local officials said.

According to state broadcaster CCTV, eleven more people were killed and 100 injured in the city of Haidong in the neighboring province of Qinghai.

The quake caused houses to collapse and caused significant damage, forcing people to flee to the streets for safety, the state news agency Xinhua said.

“I was almost scared to death. Look how my hands and legs are shaking,” a woman in her 30s said in a video posted on a social media account of the state-run People’s Daily newspaper.

“As soon as I ran out of the house, the earth on the mountain gave way and hit the roof,” she said as she sat outside wrapped in a blanket and holding a baby.

CCTV footage showed family belongings visible among scattered masonry of a house that collapsed during the quake.

Rescue work was underway early Tuesday, with Chinese President Xi Jinping calling for “all-out efforts” in search and relief work.

Temperatures are below freezing in the high-altitude area and rescuers should be alert for subsequent disasters, he said, according to CCTV.

The quake, recorded by the US Geological Survey at a magnitude of 5.9, struck in Gansu, near the border with Qinghai, where Haidong is located.

This epicenter is located about 100 kilometers southwest of Gansu Province’s capital, Lanzhou.

Xinhua reported the quake, which was felt in the city of Xi’an in the northern province of Shaanxi, around 570 kilometers away, with a magnitude of 6.2.

The initial quake was followed by several smaller aftershocks, and authorities warned that quakes larger than magnitude 5.0 were possible in the next few days.

A magnitude 5.2 quake measured by the USGS was detected further northwest in Xinjiang province on Monday morning.

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Power and water supplies were cut in some villages around the epicenter, Xinhua said.

CCTV footage from one of the worst-hit locations showed residents warming themselves by a fire while rescue workers set up tents.

According to CCTV, more than 1,400 firefighters and rescue workers were sent to the disaster area, while another 1,600 remained “on standby.”

The broadcaster added that relief supplies such as drinking water, blankets, stoves and instant noodles were also being sent to the affected area.

Footage showed emergency vehicles driving towards the scene of the accident on snow-covered highways with their lights flashing.

Rescue workers in overalls could be seen shoulder-to-shoulder in the trucks, while other images showed them lining up to receive instructions.

Other clips showed rescue workers walking through rubble by torchlight and laying out orange stretchers for the injured.

Hundreds of people were evacuated in Gansu, officials said.

The earthquake struck at 11:59 a.m. local time (3:59 p.m. GMT) on Monday at a shallow depth, according to the USGS, which revised the magnitude downward from an initial estimate of 6.0.

Earthquakes are not uncommon in China. In August, a mild 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck eastern China, injuring 23 people and causing dozens of buildings to collapse.

In September 2022, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Sichuan province, killing nearly 100 people.

A magnitude 7.9 quake in 2008 left more than 87,000 people dead or missing, including 5,335 schoolchildren.