BEIJING/LHASA, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Injuries have been reported after an earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale jolted Damxung County in Lhasa, the Tibet Autonomous Region capital, at 4:30 p.m. Monday, local authorities said.

    The epicenter was at 29.8 degrees north and 90.3 degrees east, 82 km from Lhasa, according to the State Seismological Bureau (SSB).

    "Some people were injured and houses collapsed in the epicenter near Ningzhong Town. We are trying to get the exact figure," said Zhu Quan, the Regional Seismological Department director.

    Tremors were felt in Lhasa, but Xinhua reporters saw no damage to the city's buildings, including the famed Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple.

    The quake was measured at level VIII on the 12-level MMI (modified mercalli intensity) scale in the epicenter and it was felt at level V in Lhasa, Zhu said at a press conference.

    The MMI scale measures the intensity of an earthquake from its perceptible effects with level V indicating it could be felt by everyone and could break windows. At level VIII, a quake can result in partial collapse of ordinary buildings.

    "I was shaken for a few seconds, and lamps in the office swayed. Then everything returned to normal," Xinhua reporter Xue Wenxian said. "According to what I felt, the tremor would not have damaged the cultural relics in Lhasa.

    "There is no panic in the streets now. Shops remain open," Xue said.

    Classes ended early in some schools in Lhasa.

    The regional earthquake monitoring network said it had observed15 aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 3 to 4.1. The department sent a team to the quake-hit area.