Strong quake hits Tibet
BEIJING (AFP) — A strong earthquake struck China's Himalayan region of Tibet on Monday, seismologists and state media said but reports of deaths could not be immediately confirmed.
The earthquake struck at 4:30 pm (0830 GMT) in a sparsely populated area about 84 kilometres (50 miles) west of the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, the US Geological Survey said.
US seismologists initially put the magnitude of the quake at 6.6, but later revised that down to 6.3.
The tremor in Tibet came after a 6.6-magnitude quake struck near China's border with Kyrgyzstan, killing at least 72 people. Shortly thereafter, another strong earthquake rattled China's far northwest.
Several aftershocks followed in Tibet, with one measuring 5.4.
The official Xinhua news agency, quoting local government officials, initially said at least 30 people were killed in Damxung county -- home to about 42,000 people -- near the quake's epicentre. But early Tuesday the agency said the toll was "inaccurate due to unauthoritative sources."
It was not possible to immediately independently verify whether there had in fact been any casualties in the remote area.
Soldiers and medical teams had been dispatched to the area, where roads and communications had been cut off, the earlier report said.
The agency quoted Zhu Quan, director of the Tibetan seismological department, as saying authorities were still trying to determine the exact number of casualties.
The quake was felt strongly in Lhasa, Xinhua said, citing local sources.
"I was shaken for a few seconds and lamps in the office swayed. Then everything returned to normal," the report quoted one of its own Lhasa-based reporters as saying.
"Judging from how I felt, the tremor would not damage the cultural relics in Lhasa... There is no panic in the streets now. Shops remain open."
Xinhua also quoted its local staff as saying there was no visible damage to Lhasa's world-famous Potala Palace.
Rail service between Tibet and Qinghai was operating normally, as were flights in and out of Lhasa, Xinhua said.
China suffers frequent earthquakes. An 8.0-magnitude quake struck southwestern Sichuan province on May 12, flattening entire towns and leaving more than 87,000 people dead or missing.
