NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- A strong earthquake rocked Bhutan on Monday, blocking access roads in the mountainous Asian kingdom and killing at least five people, the country's home minister told CNN.
The quake was initially registered at 6.3 in magnitude, but the U.S. Geological Survey -- which measures temblors across the world -- later revised the magnitude to 6.1.
"Till now, the reports that I have received say five to six lives have been lost," Bhutan's Home Minister Minjur Dorji said.
The quake sent boulders down the hillsides in eastern Bhutan, blocking roads to remote, hilly regions, he added. The strong quake damaged monasteries, homes and dzongs -- Bhutanese forts -- and reportedly destroyed at least one home.
Two monks were trapped inside a collapsed monastery in Bhutan's eastern Tashigang district, Dorji said.
The quake also was felt in India's northeastern Assam state, bordering Bhutan. There were no immediate reports of damage there, however.
The quake struck at 2:50 p.m. (0850 GMT) and its epicenter was 180 kilometers (110 miles) east of Bhutan's capital, Thimphu, and 135 kilometers (85 miles) northwest of Gauhati, in Assam state, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which measures earthquakes around the world.
