A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar on Friday, america Geological Survey mentioned, damaging buildings there and shaking cities throughout an enormous expanse of Southeast Asia, so far as Bangkok, in neighboring Thailand.
The quake struck close to Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest metropolis of greater than one million folks, round 12:50 p.m. native time the company mentioned. An aftershock of magnitude 6.4 was recorded 12 minutes later at a close-by location.
A magnitude of seven.7 is taken into account to be robust. At a depth of about six miles, the quake was comparatively shallow, which made it prone to trigger violent shaking.
After the tremor in Mandalay, folks had been rushed to the principle hospital. Photos taken in that metropolis that had been posted on social media confirmed a bridge that had crashed right into a river. Others confirmed broken buildings.
Particulars concerning the extent of the injury and casualties in Myanmar weren’t instantly obtainable. The nation has been ravaged by a civil warfare that started after the army seized energy in a coup 4 years in the past.
Video from Bangkok confirmed folks in panic within the streets and inside buildings like buying facilities.
In central Bangkok, the streets had been full of people that had been afraid of aftershocks or weren’t allowed again into their buildings. Visitors was at a digital standstill.
The shaking was additionally felt west of Myanmar in Bangladesh, together with in its capital, Dhaka, however there have been no speedy reviews of harm. The earthquake additionally shook buildings in Vietnam, together with Hanoi, the capital, and Ho Chi Minh Metropolis, the state-run information outlet VnExpress reported.
It is a creating story.
Saif Hasnat contributed reporting from Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Richard C. Paddock in Bangkok.
