Earthquake Devastation Reported in Shan State Skip to main content

Earthquake Devastation Reported in Shan State

More than 60 people were killed in Tarlay, a town in Burma's eastern Shan State, following last night's magnitude 6.8 earthquake, according to rescue and relief department sources in Naypyidaw.
Map locates strong earthquake in Shan State. (Graphic: AP)
More casualties were expected amid reports of widespread devastation in the area, where many buildings, roads and bridges were destroyed by the earthquake that struck at 8:25 pm local time on Thursday. Burma's state-run media reported on Friday that the epicenter of the earthquake was near Loimwe Township in eastern Shan State. It also said that two people were killed and six others were receiving treatment for injuries in Tachilek, a town on the Thai-Burmese border, but provided no further details.
However, local sources said that at least 17 people attached to the Burmese army's Light Infantry Battalion 316, including soldiers and their families, were killed when a barracks building collapsed.
There were also reports that some people who had fled to a recently built church in Tarlay were killed when the church collapsed following an aftershock.
The earthquake also caused a power outage in parts of Tachilek, where at least two electricity transformers had reportedly exploded.
“The Tachilek hospital is now full of injured survivors,” said one local resident who spent the night outdoors for fear of further aftershocks.
“People here in Tachilek and the surrounding area have been trying to rescue more people in Tarlay since last night,” he added.

http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21008
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