An earthquake measuring 6.0 degrees on the Richter Scale hit a county in southwest Tibet Autonomous Region at 19:54 Beijing Time Wednesday, according to the China Seismological Monitoring Network.

The epicenter was located at 32.5 degrees north latitude and 85.2 degrees east longitude, about 100 km east of the county seat of Gerze in Ngari Prefecture in the west of Tibet.

No casualties were so far reported. The quake-hit area is a sparsely-populated plateau region with an elevation of more than 4,000 meters.

An earthquake measuring 6.9 degrees hit the same region on Jan. 9. It was the strongest quake that hit the region in the past decade, according to the Tibet Autonomous Regional Seismological Bureau. The quake did not cause loss of life or property.

The area near the epicenter has a population of about 1,000 to 2,000, according to a Gerze county government source.

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 about 4,000 people.

(Xinhua News Agency January 17, 2008)