At least eight people have died and eight others were seriously wounded as of 8:30 Sunday morning in the two massive earthquakes that struck northwest China's Gansu Province Saturday night, according to the State Seismological Bureau.

The earthquakes, measuring 6.1 degrees and 5.8 degrees on the Richter scale, led to another 17 suffering minor injuries, the State Seismological Bureau said.

The quakes jolted areas between Minle and Shandan counties of Zhangye City in Gansu Province at 20:41 and 20:48 Saturday. According to the Chinese seismological monitoring network, the epicenters of the quakes are located at 38.4 degrees north latitude, 101.2 degrees east longitude, and 38.4 degrees north latitude and 101.1 degrees east longitude.

Sources from the Gansu provincial seismological bureau said that 30 percent of the houses in the epicenters have been severely damaged.

The latest report from the bureau says that 90 percent of the buildings in Yaozhaizi village, Yonggu Township of Minle County, have collapsed in the quakes.

The temperature in the earthquake-shaken areas was five to six degrees below zero. It snowed a few days ago.

The epicenters are about 500 kilometers northwest to Lanzhou, capital of Gansu.

The Gansu provincial government and the State Seismological Bureau have jointly sent a task force to the quake-torn area Sunday morning.

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