An quake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale struck central Myanmar on Wednesday, killing at least three people and damaging many centuries-old buildings near the ancient temple complex of Bagan.
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The US Geological Survey said the quake struck just after 5pm Myanmar time (5.30pm Thailand time), 143 kilometres west of the city of Meiktila.
An official said several temples in Bagan were severely damaged.
The local MP Han Zaw Win of Pakokku township said one man was also killed in the Pakokku.
“Most of the reports of damage have been to the pagodas in the area, with dozens impacted, particularly around Bagan”, said Mr Panzani.
More than 2,000 temples and pagodas, many of which were built between the 10th and 13th centuries, dot Bagan, a popular tourist destination which sits in an quake zone in Mandalay region about 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of the epicenter of Wednesday’s temblor.
Chauk is about 35km (20 miles) from Bagan, known as the “City of 4 Million Pagodas” and a major draw for Myanmar’s nascent tourism industry.
Bagan’s art and architecture – including the trademark shikhara, or spire – is rooted in older Indian cultures.
Despite the depth of the quake and the relatively modest damage locally, reports say that buildings swayed in both the Thai capital, Bangkok – 1,000km to the southeast, and in Calcutta, India 700 km to the west.
The Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement reported two other deaths in nearby Thitapwe village.
“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.
U Myo Thant, secretary of the Myanmar Earthquake Committee, said almost all of western Myanmar could feel the quake, and that even some living in the western part of the Shan Plateau could also sense the jolt.
“My house shook during the quake”.
UPDATED: 9:09 a.m. EDT – Residents in Yangon – Myanmar’s most populous city – evacuated tall buildings in the midst of Wednesday’s magnitude 6.8 natural disaster in what the U.S. Geological Survey has called “one of the most seismically hazardous regions on Earth”. The quake was also felt throughout south and southwestern Bangladesh with residents running outside.
Myanmar is in a seismically active part of the world where the Indo-Australian Plate runs up against the Eurasian Plate.
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“I am very sad because our ancient pagodas are damaged and some have collapsed now”.
