UPDATE - China moves over 87,000 quake-hit residents amid chilly temperatures

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – China moved over 87,000 residents affected by an earthquake to safer places in northwestern regions amid plummeting temperatures, state media reported on Wednesday.

According to provincial authorities in Gansu, a total of 87,076 people from 20,457 households were temporarily moved to safer places.

The 6.2 magnitude quake hit China at around 11.59 p.m. local time (1559GMT) on Monday with the epicenter being a township in the Jishishan autonomous county in Gansu , some 63 miles (101 kilometers) from the provincial capital Lanzhou.

The death toll due to the strong earthquake has climbed to 131, including 18 people in the neighboring Qinghai province.

Authorities are now focusing on relief efforts as the earthquake hit the densely populated areas when people were sleeping.

Hundreds of rescuers are battling repeated aftershocks and a cold wave to rescue survivors as the temperatures dropped below 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit).

Relief workers also continued their efforts to provide relief supplies including coats, folding beds, tents, stoves, and food items to the affected people.

Over 780 people also got injured by the deadly earthquake as some of them are in critical condition in hospitals.

This is the deadliest earthquake to have hit China since 2014 when a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit the Ludian county in the southwestern Yunnan province, killing at least 617 people while 112 others were reported missing.

Witnesses said many houses, roads and infrastructure in the region were damaged and there were electricity and water outages in many villages. Landslides were also reported in many areas.

***According to Beijing-based Xinhua News, 14,939 homes collapsed, while 207,204 others were damaged during the quake, which affected 145,736 people from 37,162 households in Gansu.

Local authorities said that traffic has resumed on all highways connecting areas severely affected by the earthquake.

The Chinese government Wednesday allocated more than 30 million yuan ($4.23 million) for restoration of roads in the quake-hit region.

The Finance Ministry allocated 200 million yuan ($28.18 million) in funds on Tuesday to aid disaster relief efforts in the two affected provinces.

China is operating its remote sensing satellite and unmanned vehicles during the rescue and relief operations in the affected regions.

*Islamudin Sajid contributed to this story