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Earthquake of 6.8 magnitude strikes central Myanmar: USGS

YANGON — An earthquake of 6.8 magnitude struck central Myanmar on Wednesday (Aug 24), US Geological Survey (USGS) said, shaking buildings across the country and the region.

YANGON — An earthquake of 6.8 magnitude struck central Myanmar on Wednesday (Aug 24), US Geological Survey (USGS) said, shaking buildings across the country and the region.

The quake struck 143km west of the city of Meiktila at a depth of 84km, the agency said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The quake shook buildings in buildings in Myanmar's biggest city of Yangon and in other towns and cities, witnesses said.

Office buildings in the Thai capital of Bangkok, to the east of Myanmar, shook for a few seconds, residents there said. The quake was also felt in Bangladesh, to the west of Myanmar, residents said.

Seperately, Mr Soe Win, a regional Member of Parliament from the township in Magway region, told AFP the tremors lasted for several minutes.

"There was also some sound as well. A pagoda collapsed in Salay and a building also collapsed," he said, adding that he has not yet heard of any casualties.

At least one man was killed in a Myanmar village near the epicentre, said Mr Han Zaw Win, a local MP from Magway region where the quake struck.

"A 22 year-old man was killed when a nearby building collapsed during the earthquake," he told AFP, adding that a woman was injured. 

A tourist police officer reported damage to several temples in Bagan -- Myanmar's prized ancient capital, some 30 kilometres north of the epicentre.

"Some famous pagodas were damaged during the earthquake," he told AFP, adding that some of the damage was "serious". 

The officer, who requested anonymity, said a Spanish tourist was slightly hurt when she fell from a temple while watching the sunset.

Scaling Bagan's ancient Buddhist monuments, of which there are more than 2,500, is a daily ritual among tourists and local pilgrims who flock to the site. 

The temples, built between the 10th and 14th centuries, are revered in the Buddhist-majority country.

The USGS estimated that the impact would be "relatively localised" but noted that many buildings in the region are "highly vulnerable" to earthquake shaking.

Earthquakes are relatively common in Myanmar, though the country has not seen a major quake since 2012.

The last major quake struck in a nearby region in April and caused minor damages but no casualties. AGENCIES

 

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