Beijing  - An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale hit China's Tibet Autonmous Region on Monday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The epicentre of the quake at 4:30 pm (0830 GMT) was some 80 kilometres west of the regional capital, Lhasa, at a depth of about 8 kilometres, the State Seismological Bureau reported.

The quake could be felt strongly in Lhasa and the regional seismological bureau had sent a team to investigate possible damage in settlements near the epicentre, state media said. (dpa)