An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale hit Nyima county in Nagqu prefecture, southwestern China's Tibet Autonomous Region, at 11:11 a.m. on Friday, according to the national seismological network.

No casualties have yet been reported.

At a depth of 33 kilometers, the quake struck on the line between Nyima and Coqen county of Nagri prefecture, according to the regional seismological bureau of Tibet.

The epicenter was located at Ceri township in Coqen county, where telecommunication links were cut, the regional bureau said.

Sogrin, deputy head of the bureau, said the quake caused cracks in some houses made of sun-dried mud bricks at the county seat of Coqen, but no tremor was felt at the county seat of Nyima.

But Yang Wensheng, deputy head of Nyima, said the tremor was strong in Gyungcang township and the county government had dispatched a team of five people to the township to assess the situation.

Wangchug Dorje, head legislator of the township, said cracks could be seen in the building of the township government, and six houses and sheep pens and yard walls of nine homes of local herdsmen were toppled in the township seat.

Sogrin said the quake-hit area was sparsely populated and was too far from the Qinghai-Tibet railway to affect the railroad.

Sogrin said he would lead a group of experts from the regional seismological bureau to make a site investigation of the quake-hit area. The team would set off at around 5 p.m. Friday.

Source:Xinhua