Earthquake Devastates Myanmar, 11 Dead

Earthquake Devastated Myanmar, 11 Dead

Central Myanmar is now facing a very big problem after an earthquake killed at least 11 people. That number will still likely to rise on Monday as several workers were missing after a half-built bridge collapsed on the Irrawaddy River.

The magnitude 6.8 earthquake early on Sunday struck about 60 km northwest of Mandalay, Myanmar's second-biggest city, near the town of Shwebo.
Several large aftershocks were felt during the day and state television said one of 5.7 magnitude hit just after midnight.

"We can confirm that a total of 11 are dead, while over 50 are injured and four are missing," a senior official at the Ministry of Relief and Resettlement told Reuters, asking not to be identified as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Damage from the shallow initial earthquake was not as serious as first feared, but small towns near the epicenter suffered.

In Thabeikkyin, a town of 4,200 people on the east bank of the Irrawaddy north of Mandalay, three people died and 35 were injured, according to official media, which said Vice-President Sai Mauk Kham visited the town on Sunday.
There are about 100 houses, four schools and 21 Buddhist religious buildings reported damaged.

On Sunday, a police officer in Shwebo said that two people had died and 20 had been injured in nearby Kyauk Myaung. The Radana Thinga Bridge being built over the river in the area had collapsed and five workers were missing, he added.

With the same day, state television, the usual mouthpiece for government statements in Myanmar along with state-run newspapers, had said that 15 workers at the site were unaccounted for.

Posted by James Fried on Tuesday November 13 2012, 5:10 AM EST. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0