Quake in Myanmar: Death toll rises to 13

In Myanmar death toll following a powerful earthquake 6.8-magnitude quake which hit central part of the country has mounted to 13 and 40 others were taken to hospital. The death toll from the 6.8-magnitude quake included four labourers on a bridge and two people killed in a monastery collapse in an area north of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second biggest city, the aid group said in a report. It said a further six people were killed in Sint Ku township in Sagaing region, while one died in Mandalay.




The US Geological Survey (USGS) said that the shallow 6.8-magnitude quake hit around 116 kilometres (72 miles) north of Mandalay at a depth of just 10 kilometres. It initially put the magnitude of the quake at 7.0. It was followed by a series of strong aftershocks. The USGS issued a yellow alert, saying some casualties and damage are possible but that the impact should be relatively localised. The quake was felt in neighbouring Thailand, including in the capital Bangkok, according to reports on social media websites. It struck around 572 kilometres east of the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, one of the world’s biggest cities. Earthquakes are relatively common in Myanmar.