Beijing, Apr 14 (IANS): At least 67 people were killed and many injured Wednesday after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit northwest China's Qinghai province, authorities said.

The quake struck the Yushu prefecture at 7.49 a.m. at a depth of about 33 km, the China Earthquake Networks Center reported.

At least three aftershocks have been reported.

More than 85 percent of the houses near the epicenter, Jiegu township, had collapsed, Zhuohuaxia, a publicity official with the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu, told Xinhua news agency.

"Many are buried in the collapsed houses, and there are still lots of others who are injured and being treated at local hospitals."

Shi Huajie, a police officer said that pupils of some primary schools were among the buried, but their number was unknown.

"We have to mainly rely on our hands to clear away the debris as we have no large excavating machines. We have no medical equipment, either."

Telecommunications were temporarily disrupted after the quake.

Wu Yong, commander of the Yushu military area command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, said: "Our soldiers have pulled 10 people from the collapsed houses, but four of them had died. The death toll may rise further as lots of houses collapsed."

"We are now putting up tents and transporting oxygen to prepare for treating the injured. But roads leading to the airport have been damaged, hampering the rescue efforts."

Two rescue teams from Qinghai and Tibet have been dispatched to the quake-hit region, said a spokesperson with the China Earthquake Administration.