An earthquake of at least 5.9 magnitude struck in rural western China Monday morning killing at least 20 people. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was very shallow at only 6 miles deep.

Officials in the Gansu province say the quake struck near the city of Dingxi. The area is about the size of New Jersey and a total population of 2.7 million population.

Dingxi Mayor Tang Xiaoming told state broadcasting the deaths and injuries occurred in Min County and rural parts of the area. Damage was worst in Zhang and Min where electricity was knocked out and many homes were damaged or destroyed.

“You could see the chandeliers wobble and the windows vibrating and making noise, but there aren’t any cracks in the walls. Shop assistants all poured out onto the streets when the shaking began,” a desk clear at the Wuyang Hotel about 25 miles from the epicenter told Fox News.

Dingxi is about 760 miles west of Beijing.