6.9 magnitude quake jolts Tibet; no casualties

In this photo released by China’s Xinhua News Agency, rescuers look at a road blocked by fallen rocks in Paizhen town in Mainling county of Nyingchi city in southwestern China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017. A strong earthquake has shaken China’s Tibet region. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 6.3 magnitude quake hit at a depth of about 6 miles (10 kilometers) about 36 miles (58 kilometers) northeast of Nyingchi. (Liu Pengchao/Xinhua via AP)

BEIJING—A predawn 6.9 magnitude earthquake jolted a remote corner of Tibet early Saturday, with no reported casualties.

The China Earthquake Administration placed the epicenter at Nyingchi in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region near China’s disputed border with India. The area is sparsely populated and known for its soaring Himalayan peaks and sacred Tibetan sites.

China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported that several homes were damaged but no casualties have been reported.

A resident in Milin county who gave her surname as Ma said her family was in bed when they felt tremors lasting 30 seconds.

“We didn’t see people rushing out of their homes,” she said. “Everything is normal here.”

Many local residents are celebrating a Tibetan New Year festival this weekend. /jpv