Moderate quake jolts Tibet; no injuries reported

A moderate quake jolted the eastern part of Tibet today, though no casualties were reported.

A moderate quake jolted the eastern part of Tibet on Tuesday, though no casualties were reported.

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The 5.5-magnitude quake, which occurred at 4:39 pm local time, was located about 45 miles (75 kilometers) west of Lhasa, the regional capital of Tibet, according to the US Geological Survey.

The China Earthquake Networks Center, which reported the quake was magnitude 5.2 on the Richter scale, said the epicenter was in Gedar township in Damxung county near the capital.

Residents in Lhasa reported feeling the tremor, saying that it shook office windows.

No people or livestock were killed, said Yu Bo, the local Communist Party chief in Damxung, in a telephone interview, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. He added that no houses had collapsed, although several had cracks. A more detailed damage assessment was still under way, he said.

An official with the Tibet Earthquake Bureau who identified herself only as Lamu said a rescue team had been dispatched to Damxung.

Operation of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, which runs through the county, was not affected, Xinhua said, citing local officials.