Myanmar is the next victim of an earth-shaking phenomenon. A magnitude 6.8 rocked the country, which is powerful enough to topple buildings, destroy existing structures, and capable of devastating a whole community in just one snap. People started panicking when they felt something was shaking on their ground for several moments. There are numerous smokes that can be seen from various ancient temples affected by the powerful ground shaking. The smoke was emitted by falling debris destroyed by the tremors as it transformed old structures into a pile of debris in the area.
The earthquake's epicenter was located 25 kilometers west of Chauk in Central Myanmar region with a depth of 84 kilometers from the surface. The tremors occurred at 4 in the afternoon for Myanmar time zone. Naypyidaw is the country's capital city, which has a densely populated area near the epicenter. The latest powerful earthquake in central Myanmar is classified as tectonic in origin, rattling almost the entire nation.
Powerful magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Myanmar destroyed several pagodas and ancient sites |
The latest ground shaking natural disaster is very powerful enough that can be felt to surrounding countries outside Myanmar. Several cities and town were felt in Thailand such as Chiang Mai, which is closer to Myanmar that was previously known as Burma. Towns and cities in Bangladesh that are located near the borders with Myanmar also felt the ground-shaking terror.
Myanmar's capital is also the country's most populous city. There were several high-rise buildings affected by the tremors during the earthquake. Buildings were seen swaying as the ground continuous to move horizontally and vertically. Workers and visitors that were still inside high-rise buildings immediately went down to prevent themselves being caught from any unexpected accidents that could cause injuries. Other workers sought for a cover while their office starts shaking to protect themselves from any harm at the office.
Myanmar authorities immediately call for mass evacuation to areas affected by the earthquake. Residents and all dwellers inside the buildings and structures were mandated to go out to prevent themselves being caught from the falling debris. Several cities and towns across the country were ordered to prevent going inside buildings due to the risk of being harmed and injured. The government activated its disaster management agencies to immediately provide search and rescue operations to all damaged structures to save trapped individuals.
Watch the actual footage of magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Myanmar
There were several fatalities reported such as 3. However, the reported fatalities are feared to increase as there were numerous buildings that were collapsed across the country. There are an uncertain number of injuries because the emergency response agencies were still under search and rescue operations as still ongoing across the nation.
Myanmar authorities fear that the total cost brought about by the earthquake is very significant. The earthquake destroyed numerous cultural sights across the nation, which plays an important role that maintaining tourism spots for international tourists. Ancient structures were easily destroyed because they were constructed from light materials such as bricks.
Residents in the area are advised to expect strong aftershocks. All structures that were damaged by the earthquake is very dangerous for the people to return because the foundation is no longer strong enough to hold the building.
Myanmar is situated in an active geological zone. The country lies along the edge of the Indo-Australian plate. The plate is a fast-moving tectonic piece of earth responsible for causing tremors along its edges.
The country experiences occasional tremors each year including strong tremors such as the recent magnitude 6.8 in central Myanmar.
In 2011, Myanmar was hit by a powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake. The shallow quake rocked the Shan region of the country with a depth of 10 kilometers from the surface. There were at least 151 total of casualties while 212 were injured from the quake.