Published by: World Tibet Network News Thursday, January 15, 1998

BEIJING, Jan 15 (AFP) - An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale shook a sparsely populated area in Tibet on Thursday, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The temblor -- the aftershock of a 7.5-intenstiy quake on November 8 -- struck at 12:55 p.m. (0455 GMT), it said, quoting seismological authorities.

The epicentre was located in the northern Manyi area, near the border with Xinjiang at 35.7 degrees north latitude and 86.8 degrees east longitude,

No casualties or damage have yet been reported, the report said.

The aftershock marked the second quake above the intensity of five to hit the Himalayan region in two days.

A quake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale hit a remote area on the northern Tibet Plateau, in the Kokoshili Mountain Range, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Relief workers have already been sent this month to another area of Tibet, Nagqu prefecture, to provide aid due to heavy snowfall and extreme cold.