LHASA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- A 6.1-magnitude earthquake jolted Nagqu City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, at 2:11 p.m. Friday (Beijing Time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).
The epicenter was monitored at 31.94 degrees north latitude and 92.74 degrees east longitude, with a depth of 10 km, the center said.
Benpa Tsering, county chief of Biru, Nagqu, told Xinhua over the phone that the earthquake was strongly felt in the county seat. The epicenter of the earthquake was located in Xagqu Township, where the local authority is still investigating casualties and damage to houses.
"Communication channels are currently operating as normal, while an emergency response has been launched," Benpa Tsering said.
Tashi Nyima, Party chief of Xagqu Town, told Xinhua over the phone that the quake cracked office buildings and some residential houses in the town center and authorities are checking with villages to determine the full extent of the damage.
The town's primary school has more than 1,000 teachers and students and all of them have been evacuated to safety in the open air with no reports of casualties.
The road traffic from the county seat to the town has not been disrupted and the county's emergency workers have arrived at the epicenter to help check for damage. Meanwhile, the fire departments of Biru county, Nagqu city and other nearby areas have sent 28 rescuers to the epicenter to help with emergency efforts.
The county located in the east of Nagqu has an average altitude of 4,000 meters above sea level and a population of more than 80,000.
Residents in the regional capital of Lhasa also felt the quake, with hanging lamps noticeably swinging to and fro. Enditem
