Strong quake strucked central Myanmar

11 November 2012 | Bangkok Post

A powerful earthquake struck central Myanmar on Sunday, sparking panic in the country's second-largest city as terrified residents fled shaking buildings, witnesses said.

The shallow 6.6-magnitude quake hit around 117 kilometres (72 miles) north of Mandalay at a depth of just 10 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said. It initially put the magnitude of the quake at 7.0.

"I ran from my bed carrying my daughter out to the street. There were many people in the road. Some were shouting and others felt dizzy," Mandalay resident San Yu Kyaw told AFP by telephone.

"People are now scared of more earthquakes. Especially those who live or run businesses in high-rise buildings are desperate and don't know what to do," he said.

The were no immediate reports of casualties.

The USGS issued a yellow alert, saying "some casualties and damage are possible" but that the impact should be relatively localised.

The quake hit at 7:42 am (0112 GMT) and was followed by two shallow 5.0-magnitude aftershocks within 20 minutes.

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, which is emerging from decades of military rule under a new quasi-civilian government.

More than 70 people were killed in March 2011 when a powerful 6.8-magnitude quake struck Myanmar near the borders with Thailand and Laos.

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