An earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale hit southwest China's Tibet at 4:26 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the China Seismological Monitoring Network.

The epicenter was about 100 kilometers east of the remote Gerze County in Ngari Prefecture, western Tibet.

No casualties have been reported so far but residents in Gerze felt the shock strongly, according to the Tibet Seismological Bureau.

The quake was the strongest to hit the region in the past decade, the bureau added.

The area near the epicenter has a population of about 1,000 to 2,000, said a Gerze government source. The county government is sending officials to travel to the affected area to check the damage.

Tibet is one of the most earthquake-prone areas in China. Since 1900, the region has suffered more than 600 quakes with magnitudes of over 5.

On August 15, 1950, an 8.5 magnitude quake hit the region's Zayu County, killing around 4,000 people.

(Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2008)