Lhasa, TIBET—On October 6, a 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit Damxung County of Lhasa, the capital City of Tibet, killing at least 30 people. Hundreds of houses have collapsed with many people buried under the rubble.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the quake happened on 4:30 p.m. Beijing time. The epicenter was at 29.8 degrees north and 90.3 degrees east, 82 km from Lhasa. The magnitude measured 6.6 on the Richter scale.
According to the report, the quake hit Tibet at a depth of 8 kilometers (5 miles), and the epicenter was about 82 kilometers (60 miles) from Lhasa and 150 kilometers (93 miles) from Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet.
It was reported that people in Lhasa city felt the quake. The Tibet Earthquake Bureau has sent out an investigation team to the quake area.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGA), several minor quakes have hit the region in the past few weeks.
It was also reported that Wuqia County of Xinjiang was hit by a 6.8-magnitude quake between October 5 and 6, followed by a 5.7 magnitude earthquake. The epicenter was about 110 kilometers (68 miles) southwest of the county.
So far the quake has caused some old buildings to crack, but there has not been any reports of injury or death. However, 58 people have been killed in southern regions of Kyrgyzstan, a neighboring country to Xinjiang.
According to the local earthquake bureau, Kashgar and Atushi, two cities in Xinjiang, felt the earthquake when it hit the region. Wuqia County felt it strongly. Some villagers decided to camp out. Jigen township government building, built in rocks and wood, cracked. Kyrgyzstan near the border of China felt the quake strongly.
