YANGON (AFP) ― More than 50 people were killed and dozens of buildings destroyed when a strong earthquake struck Myanmar near the Thai border, officials from both countries said Friday.
Tremors were felt as far away as Bangkok, almost 800 kilometers from the epicenter, Hanoi and parts of China during the earthquake Thursday, which the U.S. Geological Survey measured at magnitude 6.8.
A Myanmar official said dozens of people were killed in two towns close to the epicenter.
“The death toll of the quake has increased to more than 50 in Tarlay and Mine Lin townships,” said the official, who declined to be named.
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Nurses help push a patient’s bed as they are evacuated from a hospital building following an earthquake at Chiang Rai hospital in Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand, Thursday. (AP-Yonhap News) |
“Roads are also closed. According to the information that we have, more than 130 buildings collapsed because of the quake. There might be more casualties and damage.”
Across the border, Thai authorities said a 52-year-old woman was killed in Mae Sai district after a wall in her house collapsed.
Terrified residents across the region fled their homes, tall buildings swayed and hospitals and schools were evacuated during the tremors.
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