A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 hit the Himalayan region of Tibet today, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake struck at 8.30 GMT in an area about 84 kilometres west of the Tibetan capital Lhasa, the USGS said.

The USGS said another quake measuring 5.1, likely an aftershock, hit in roughly the same area 15 minutes later.