A 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit northwest China's Gansu Province Monday morning, leaving at least 75 people killed, 584 injured and 14 missing, local authorities said.

A 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit northwest China's Gansu Province Monday morning [Google map]

The earthquake hit an area bordering Minxian and Zhangxian counties, Dingxi city, northwest China's Gansu province at 07:45 am, July 22.

The epicenter, with a depth of 20 km, was monitored at 34.521 degrees north latitude and 104.23 degrees east longitude, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

Communication was cut off in 13 towns of Zhangxian County.

Sources with the Minxian County government said most of the townships in the county have been affected by the quake. The townships of Meichuan and Puma were seriously hit.

Locals in Minxian County said a strong tremor was felt and they saw trees and homes shake, adding that the quake lasted for about one minute.

Soldiers, police and more than 300 local militiamen have been dispatched to the quake-hit region to help with rescue efforts.

Meanwhile, the earthquake was also felt in neighboring cities of Longnan and Tianshui, as well as the provincial capital city of Lanzhou.

The cities of Xi'an, Baoji and Xianyang in neighboring Shaanxi Province were also reported to have felt the quake.

(Xinhua News Agency contributed to this story.)