Using brooms and their hands, soldiers and residents of an ancient Myanmar city famous for its historic Buddhist temples began cleaning up debris Thursday from a powerful quake that shook the region, damaging almost 200 pagodas.
Advertisement
The quake, which the agency said struck at a depth of 84 kilometres (52 miles), swayed high-rise buildings in the Thai capital of Bangkok, AFP journalists reported.
The quake was located fairly far below the Earth’s surface at a depth of about 52 miles, geologists said.
Workers set the security line around the earthquake-damaged Sitanagyi Pagoda in Bagan, Myanmar, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. Tremors were felt as far away as Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Laos, and China.
However, there was no immediate report of damage or casualty.
The quake was felt widely across the region, with shaking reported as far away as Bangladesh, eastern India, Thailand, Laos, and China. In 1897, a Shillong-epicentred quake measured 8.2 on the Richter scale, while in 1950, an natural disaster in Assam measuring 8.7 on the Richter Scale forced the mighty Brahmaputra river to change its course. He said they reported moderate damage in the area, including tilting pagodas and buildings with large cracks.
A magnitude 6.8 quake rocked central Myanmar Wednesday, according to multiple news reports.
However, initial reports said some religious buildings in Bagan-Nyaung Oo collapsed and part of the building of the House of Nationalities in Nay Pyi Taw was found cracked.
Earthquakes are relatively common in Myanmar, although the country has not suffered a major one since 2012.
The last major natural disaster to strike Myanmar was earlier this year in April, when a magnitude 6.9 left dozens injured, mostly from being trampled after people were left scurrying for cover.
Strong tremors of quake were felt in various parts of the country, including Kolkata, Patna and Guwahati at around 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
Soe Win, a local MP from Chauk – a riverside town close to the epicentre – said it was the worst natural disaster he had experienced in years. Police officers cordoned off most the damaged ancient pagodas.
Advertisement
Bangkok, which is towards the east of Myanmar also felt the quake which nearly shook the office buildings in the Thai Capital for a few seconds.
