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 and damaged almost 200 pagodas.
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The epicenter of the quake was 25 km west of Chauk in Myanmar, which is around 500 km away from Dhaka, Syed Humayun Akhter, professor of geology at Dhaka University, told The Daily Star.
The natural disaster struck at 5:04 p.m. on Thursday, 25 kilometers west of Chauk in Magwe Division, at a depth of 84 kilometers.
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However, at least 65 centuries-old brick pagodas in Bagan were damaged, the Ministry of Religious and Cultural Affairs said in a statement.
The Ministry of Information said almost 100 of Bagan’s famed pagodas, mostly built between the 11th and 13th centuries, had been damaged.
The city is one of Myanmar’s top tourist attractions, drawing visitors from all over the world who can view a panorama of temples stretching to the horizon flanked by the Irrawaddy River.
Dr. Myo Thant, general secretary of the Myanmar Earthquake Committee, said other areas apparently were not badly affected.
A collapsed building in a nearby town also killed a 22-year-old man and injured one woman, local police told AFP.
“Most of the reports of damage have been to the pagodas in the area with dozens impacted”.
“Along with our partners, we stand ready to support the national authorities and local organizations should any humanitarian support be needed”.
Staff members of the London-based global charity Save the Children in Pakokku, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) from the epicenter, said they felt heavy shaking when the quake struck and hurried outside, according to Evan Schuurman, a spokesman for the group.
Local Unesco officers traveling to the site said the United Nations agency would need the full collaboration of authorities, including from the government’s archaeological department, to maintain the historical value of the damaged temples and pagodas. There were no immediate reports of damage in either country.
Anxious residents of Yangon, the country’s main city, rushed out of tall buildings, and objects toppled from tables and from Buddhist shrines in homes.
Tremors were also felt in several parts of north India including Gurgaon, Manesar and Bhondsi in Haryana, authorities said.
Office buildings in the Thai capital Bangkok, to the east of Myanmar, shook for a few seconds, residents there said. There were no immediate reports of damage in either country.
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Damage to the entrance gate of Bagan’s Dhammayangyi temple, seen on Thursday, after a 6.8 magnitude quake struck central Burma on Wednesday evening.
