The earthquake that jolted Tibet on Monday injured five people and left more than 450 others homeless in Bomi, worst hit among the five counties seriously affected by the quake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale.

The quake occurred around Medog, Bomi, Nyingchi, Zayu, Mainling counties, with the epicenter at 28 degrees 36 minutes north latitude and 95 degrees 36 minutes east longitude, but Bomi, which is 35 km away from the epicenter, suffered the most damage.

More than 120 houses tumbled, said sources from the leading group for earthquake control and disaster relief of Nyingchi Prefecture, which exercises jurisdiction over Bomi.

Large cracks have been found in over 40 buildings owned by county government organizations, and infrastructure including bridges and water diversion canals have been damaged.

Traffic on two highways had to come to a temporary halt because of mud-and-rock flows in the wake of the earthquake.

The direct economic losses caused by the quake to Bomi was estimated at more than 12 million yuan (about 1.45 million US dollars).

After the quake, Party and government authorities of Nyingchi prefecture set up a leading group for earthquake control and disaster relief to guide relief efforts.

The damage elsewhere in Tibet is yet to be fully assessed due to transport and communications problems in the remote area.

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