Naypyidaw: Around 6 earthquakes hit central Myanmar on Friday. More than 100 are reported dead in the country. Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing declared an ’emergency’ and appealed for aid. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the epicentres of the earthquakes were northwest of the city of Sagaing at depths of 10 to 30km.
The tremors and aftershocks struck parts of Thailand, China, India, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. Some metro and rail services were suspended in the Thai capital, Bangkok. Three deaths have been reported from a collapsed building in Bangkok. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra broke off an official visit to Phuket to hold an urgent review meet, after which she too declared a state of ’emergency’ in the city.
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China’s Yunnan province also reported strong tremors; the China Earthquake Networks Center said the magnitude was 7.9. And mild tremors were also reported from Kolkata in Bengal and parts of Manipur, where tremors of 4.4 magnitude were recorded as well as Dhaka and Chattogram in Bangladesh. Three deaths have been reported from a collapsed building in Bangkok.
Earthquakes are relatively common in Myanmar, where six strong quakes of 7.0 magnitude or more struck between 1930 and 1956 near the Sagaing Fault, which runs north to south through the country.
A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake, in the ancient capital Bagan in central Myanmar, killed three people in 2016, also toppling spires and crumbling temple walls at the tourist destination.
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