At least nine people have been killed after a powerful earthquake struck a remote region of Tibet on Tuesday morning, according to Chinese state media.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the 7.1-magnitude quake struck at 9.05 local time and was followed by multiple aftershocks.
Both the USGS and the China Earthquake Networks Center gave the epicenter location high up in the remote Tibetan plateau close to the Himalayan border with Nepal.
Some village houses collapsed in the quake, state news agency Xinhua reported.
The nearest major city to the epicenter is the holy city of Shigatse, which lies some 180 kilometers (111 miles) away.
The city is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, the second-highest spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism, after the Dalai Lama.
The USGS shake map indicated that tremors from the quake could be felt in neighboring Nepal and parts of northern India.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
