At least 300 people have died after a powerful...

Officials and media outlets said the quake struck Yushu county at 7:49 a.m. (23:49 GMT Tuesday). There were reports of smaller tremors in the hours leading up to the larger earthquake.

Rescue workers are having difficulty reaching the remote region, which is some 500 km from the provincial capital.

Many more people are buried under rubble, and the death toll is expected to rise.

A massive quake killed some 87,000 people in the neighboring Sichuan province in 2008.

MOSCOW, April 14 (RIA Novosti)