Chinese state media say a strong earthquake in Tibet has killed at least 30 people.

The Xinhua news agency says the six-point-six magnitude earthquake jolted an area outside the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, Monday. A smaller aftershock followed the quake.

Xinhua says many houses collapsed in Tibet's Damxung county, home to about 42-thousand people.

Authorities have dispatched soldiers and medical staff to assist people buried beneath debris.

Xinhua reports that tremors were felt in Lhasa, but there was no visible damage to buildings or historical sites, including the famed Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple.