A magnitude 6.8 quake shook central Myanmar around 5 p.m. local time on Wednesday, damaging buildings and sending people running into the streets across the region. China’s People’s Daily reported that ancient temples collapsed in the west Meiktila region of Myanmar.
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There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The tremors shook the tallest of the buildings in the city of Yangon, witnesses said.
A strong quake of magnitude 6.8 on the Richter scale jolted Myanmar on Wednesday – the second in two days – with its effects also felt in Kolkata, Guwahati, Patna, and neighbouring Bangladesh, too. He said they reported moderate damage in the area, including tilting pagodas and buildings with large cracks. Tremors were also felt in Patna, Guwahati, Kolkata and Lucknow.
“We felt quite heavy shaking for about 10 seconds and started to evacuate the building when there was another strong tremor”, he said in comments sent by email.
There were no other confirmed casualties, and early reports suggested limited damage overall.
“The quake was centered about 15 miles west of Chauk, a port town on the Irrawaddy River”.
The quake was felt several hundred kilometers away in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok. Many residents were seen came out of their homes as the natural disaster struck at about 4.37 pm.
In March, 2011, at least 74 people were killed in an quake in Myanmar near its borders with Thailand and Laos.
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Earthquakes are relatively common in Myanmar, though the country has not seen a major quake since 2012.
