Quake destroys several buildings in Taikkyi

March 14, 2017

 A Monday evening earthquake that measured 5.8 on the Richter scale destroyed three buildings in Taikkyi, Yangon Region. There were many minor injuries but no reported deaths, local authorities said yesterday.

The temblor began to shake buildings in Yangon at about 8:50pm. The moderate earthquake with a depth of about 10 kilometers had its epicenter in Taikkyi, 69 kilometers northeast of the city of Yangon and the northernmost township in Yangon Region, according to the US Geological Survey.

“After the earthquake, we found 26 people receiving treatment for minor injuries and vomiting.

Most have been discharged from the hospital,” said U Kyaw Soe Lin of the Taikkyi Township General Administration Department.

The earthquake damaged 24 religious edifices, one monastery, one school, nine departmental offices and six other buildings, two bridges, one concrete road and destroyed three houses, causing losses worth of more than Ks195 million, authorities said.

Following the quake, the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement delivered cash assistance and aid to the people affected by the quake.

The authorities refuted a Facebook post which said a man and a child died in the quake.

Members of fire brigades,  the Red Cross, the Tatmadaw, police and social organisations carried out the evacuation and cleared debris and wreckage from the buildings on Monday.

Tin Soe Min, a regional representative for the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party said he had no reports of any residents being seriously injured or killed in Yangon.

He said an old wall surrounding a local Buddhist monastery fell down and a few houses became tilted to one side. 

Ref; The Global New Light of Myanmar