However, no casualties have been reported so far.
The quake hit the border region of Zogang County and Markam County in Qamdo Prefecture, some 1,000 km southeast of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region.
According to the emergency office in Tibet, the quake was also felt in southern Yunnan Province and the local government is investigating relevant damage.
The Tibet military area command under the People's Liberation Army initiated emergency response. It has assembled soldiers and medical staff to rescue and relocate affected people and to inspect affected buildings in quake-hit areas.
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However, Zhang is worried for the villagers in Ringo, a mountainous town with a population of 3,476, which is right on the epicentre, and is about 75 kms away from the county seat of Zogang.
"It will take us more time to figure out the situation there, as eight of the 12 villages in Ringo are not accessible by telecommunication or highway, so the rescuers have to go there on foot," he said.
Just three weeks ago, a 6.6-magnitude quake jolted Minxian and Zhangxian counties in the northwestern province of Gansu, killing at least 95 people.