BEIJING — Two earthquakes jolted the capital of Tibet and surrounding areas Monday, killing more than 30 people and collapsing hundreds of houses, China's state news agency said. Rescuers rushed in to try to save people buried in the rubble.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the first quake measured magnitude 6.6 and struck at 4:30 p.m. 80 kilometres west of Lhasa, more than 2,600 km. from Beijing.

The second temblor measuring magnitude 5.1 hit about 15 minutes later, some 96 kilometres west of the Tibetan capital, it said.

Thirty people died and hundreds of houses collapsed in Gedar township near the epicentre in Dangxiong County, and traffic and telecommunications were cut. An unknown number of people were trapped, and soldiers and rescue workers were dispatched to the site, the official Xinhua News Agency said...

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