Powerful 6.8 magnitude quake hits Myanmar, damages Bagan temples

YANGON : A powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar on Wednesday, killing at least one person and damaging pagodas in the ancient city of Bagan,

YANGON : A powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar on Wednesday, killing at least one person and damaging pagodas in the ancient city of Bagan, officials said.

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The earthquake, which the US Geological Survey said hit at a depth of 84 kilometres, was also felt across neighbouring Thailand, India and Bangladesh, sending panicked residents rushing onto the streets.

At least one man was killed in a Myanmar village near the epicentre, said Han Zaw Win, a local MP from Magway region where the quake struck.

“A 22 year-old man was killed when a nearby building collapsed during the earthquake,” he told AFP, adding that a woman was injured.

A tourist police officer reported damage to several temples in Bagan — Myanmar’s prized ancient capital, some 30 km north of the epicentre.

“Some famous pagodas were damaged during the earthquake,” he told AFP, adding that some of the damage was “serious”.