The death toll from the 6.2-magnitude earthquake that jolted northwest China earlier this week has risen to 148, with as many as 117 persons dead in the worst-hit Gansu province, authorities said.

The quake, the worst in nine years in the region, struck midnight on December 18 at a depth of 10 kilometres.

In Qinghai province, which borders Gansu, 31 people were killed in the earthquake.

As of Friday, the earthquake had injured 781 people in Gansu, according to the provincial earthquake relief headquarters, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

A total of 311 temporary relocation sites have been set up for the affected residents in Gansu, and 112,346 people relocated so far.

As of now, 499 individuals have been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment, while 282 people remain hospitalised.

Among them, 17 are in critical condition and 69 are severely injured.

Monday night's quake was China's deadliest since an earthquake killed 617 people in Yunnan province in 2014.

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