Strong quake rattle Lhasa, famed Potala Palace safe

Beijing, Oct 6 (PTI) A strong earthquake of 6.6 magnitude rattled Tibet Monday, a day after tremors jolted the neighbouring desert regions Xinjiang in north-west China damaging over 200 rural houses.

There was no immediate report of casualties, the
official Xinhua news agency reported. The famed Potala Palace
of Dalai Lamas which is now a major tourist destination is
safe, it said.

The quake jolted Damxung County in Lhasa, the Tibet
Autonomous Region capital the State Seismological Bureau
(S.S.B.) said. The epicentre was located 82 km away from
Lhasa.

"I was shaken for a few seconds, and lamps in the
office swayed. Then everything returned to normal," Xinhua
quoted a local reporter as saying. "There is no panic in the
streets now. Shops remain open."

Meanwhile, officials in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous
Region Monday confirmed the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that
shook its far-flung western mountainous Sunday night didn't
cause any casualties but altogether 225 rural households were
damaged.

The quake epicentre was in the mountainous area about
100 km away from the county seat of Wuqia, Kizilsu Kirgiz
Autonomous Prefecture. The earthquake source was 33 km
underground. The quake damaged telecom facilities in the
region. PTI SAZ