Nine people were confirmed dead in a strong earthquake that jolted a county in Tibet on Monday, the rescue headquarters said at the epicenter.

The previous "at least 30" death toll was inaccurate due to unauthoritative sources and needed further check.

Rescuers arrived at Yangyi Village, the worst-hit site in Gedar Township of Damxung County, late Monday night after repairing the road once paralyzed in the 6.6-magnitude tremor.

At least 147 houses in Yangyi and villages in a neighboring county collapsed. Rescuers recovered nine bodies from debris. Eleven people were seriously injured and eight others received light injuries.

More than 600 soldiers, police officers, firefighters, traffic, medical and geological experts were rushing to the quake zone.

Food, drinking water, tents and other materials had been transported to the area. Rescue operation was underway. The injured were being sent to local hospitals.

The quake jolted Damxung at 4:30 p.m. Monday. The epicenter was at 29.8 degrees north and 90.3 degrees east, 82 km from Lhasa.

Tremors were felt in Lhasa, but no major damages were found in buildings or historical sites there, including the famed Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple.

The downtown area of Lhasa remained relatively safe and there is no need to be panic, Zhu Quan, head of the local earthquake bureau, told Xinhua.

More aftershocks may follow but would not cause damages to buildings in the city, Zhu said.

The Qinghai-Tibet railway and Lhasa airport remained in normal services.

(Xinhua News Agency October 7, 2008)