30 dead in Tibet quake

Beijing, Oct 6 (PTI) At least 30 people were killed Monday when a strong earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter Scale jolted Lhasa, capital of Tibet, the local government said.

The victims were found in Gedar township of Damxung
County, the epicenter. More people are feared buried in debris
and many houses collapsed, said the Tibet Autonomous Region
Government.

Traffic and telecommunication were cut off in Gedar.

Soldiers and medical staff were rushing to the site,
official Xinhua news agency reported.

Deaths and injuries were also reported in a neighboring
county, but the exact number of casualties was yet to be
verified.

The epicenter was located at 29.8 degrees north and 90.3
degrees east, 82 km from Lhasa, according to the State
Seismological Bureau (S.S.B.).

Tremors were felt in Lhasa, but no major damages were
found in buildings or historical sites there, including the
famed Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple, the report said.

The Qinghai-Tibet railway and Lhasa airport remained in
normal services.

Meanwhile, officials in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
Monday confirmed the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that shook its
far-flung western mountainous last 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 PPR