The death toll has climbed to 75, with 14 others still unaccounted for, after an earthquake hit northwest China’s Gansu Province on Monday morning.

The death toll has climbed to 75, with 14 others still unaccounted for, after an earthquake hit northwest China's Gansu Province on Monday morning, state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

An initial investigation showed that the 6.6-magnitude quake had caused the collapse of more than 1,200 houses and severely damaged another 21,000 homes, it added.

Xinhua reporters who arrived at villages in Meichuan Township in Minxian said many rural buildings had been reduced to ruins and others had cracks in the walls.

Villagers said the victims were mainly elderly and children.

In Meichuan's village of Yongguang, the quake toppled wood and earthen structures and unleashed a landslide that buried 12 residents.

Two bodies have been found and one person has been pulled out alive, but rescue efforts have been slow due to a lack of heavy digging machinery, rescuers said.

The epicenter of the quake was monitored at 34.5 degrees north latitude and 104.2 degrees east longitude, the China Earthquake Networks Center said.

Locals in Minxian said the quake lasted for about one minute. The county government said most of its townships have been affected by the quake.

Light to heavy rain has been forecast in Dingxi, according to the provincial meteorological station. The rain will likely affect rescue efforts.

The earthquake happened in a fault zone that has seen 25 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.0 or greater throughout history, the China Earthquake Administration said.

The strongest quake recorded in the fault zone had a magnitude of 8.0 and occurred on July 21, 1654. That quake happened about 121 km from the site of the latest quake, the administration added.

The earthquake was also felt in Gansu's cities of Tianshui and Lanzhou, as well as the cities of Xi'an, Baoji and Xianyang in neighboring Shaanxi Province.