Strong quake shakes Myanmar, no casualties reported
( 2003-09-22 10:46) (Agencies)
A strong earthquake shook central Myanmar early on Monday, but officials said
no casualties had been reported although three ancient pagodas collapsed and a
bridge was damaged. An official at the government's meteorology department said
the earthquake measured 6.7 on the Richter scale and had its epicentre in the
Bago and Magwe divisions of central Myanmar, around 350 km (220 miles) north of
Yangon.
"It is sparsely populated. So far as we have heard, there were no human
casualties but some damage to buildings," the official told Reuters.
"Three ancient pagodas collapsed in Taungdwingyi and a bridge over a creek
was broken by the tremor," she said.
The US Geological Survey earlier said the earthquake measured 6.5 on the
Richter scale.
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