6.8 Magnitude Quake Strikes NE Myanmar (Burma)

6.8 Magnitude Quake Strikes NE Myanmar (Burma)

A powerful earthquake struck northeastern Myanmar on Thursday night, killing one woman and shaking buildings as far away as Bangkok. No tsunami was generated. The quake was followed by two smaller aftershocks, 4.8 and 5.4 in magnitude. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake was located too far inland to create a destructive wave.

March 25, 2011

AP - A strong earthquake that toppled homes in northeastern Myanmar has killed more than 60 people, and there were fears Friday the toll would mount as conditions in more remote areas became known.

The Thursday night quake, measured at a magnitude 6.8 by the U.S. Geological Survey, was centered just north of the town Tachileik in the mountains along the Thai border, but was felt hundreds of miles (kilometers) away in the Thai capital Bangkok and Vietnamese capital Hanoi.

Myanmar state radio announced Friday that 65 people had been killed and 111 injured in the quake, but was updating the total frequently. It said that 244 houses, 14 Buddhist monasteries and nine government buildings were damaged.

An official from the U.N.'s World Food Program said there were many casualties and serious damage in Mong Lin village, five miles (eight kilometers) from Tachileik. State radio said 29 were killed there and 16 injured.

The state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that 15 houses collapsed in the town of Tarlay, where state radio said 11 were killed and 29 injured. Another U.N. official said a small hospital there was partially damaged as well as a bridge, making it difficult to access the town.

The newspaper said another two people were killed in Tachileik, including a 4-year-old boy. It said six people were injured in the town, which is just across the border from Mae Sai in Thailand's Chiang Rai province.

In Mae Sai, one woman was killed when a wall fell on her, according to Thai police, but damage was otherwise minimal.

The second U.N. official said medicine would be sent to the affected areas as soon as possible along with an assessment team in cooperation with the Myanmar Red Cross Society.

Both U.N. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Myanmar's government frowns on giving unauthorized information to the media.

Most of rural Myanmar, one of Asia's poorest countries, is underdeveloped, with poor communications and other infrastructure, and minimal rescue and relief capacity. The country's military government is also usually reluctant to release information about disasters because it is already sensitive to any criticism.

The government tightly controls information, and in 2008 delayed reporting on — and asking for help with — devastating Cyclone Nargis, which killed 130,000 people. The junta was widely criticized for what were called inadequate preparations and a slow response to the disaster.

Somchai Hatayatanti, the governor of Chiang Rai province, said dozens of people suffered minor injuries on the Thai side of the border. Cracks were found in buildings in downtown Chiang Rai city, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) from the epicenter, including a provincial hospital and city hall. The tops of the spires fell off from at least two Buddhist temples.

As a precaution for aftershocks, a relief center was being set up Friday in Mae Sai.

"We are worried that the area might be hit with stronger quakes. There was another quake at 7 a.m. this morning," said Somsri Meethong of the Mae Sai District office, referring to an aftershock. "I had to run again like last night. What we have seen on TV about Japan added to our fear."

6.8 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Burma: At Least 75 people Killed

March 25, 2011

BBC News - At least 75 people are reported to have been killed and many more injured when a powerful earthquake struck north-eastern Burma on Thursday.

The magnitude-6.8 quake struck near the Lao and Thai borders, and was felt as far away as the Thai capital Bangkok, and in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi. The town of Tachileik and surrounding villages in Shan state appear to have borne the brunt of the earthquake.

There are fears the casualties could be much higher.

Burma is ill prepared to deal with natural disasters, says the BBC's Rachel Harvey in Bangkok.

Communication systems and infrastructure are poor and the military government, still in charge until the handover to a new civilian-led administration, tends to limit the flow of information.

It is likely to take some time before a clear picture of the disaster emerges, our correspondent says.

Several hundred buildings collapsed north of the town of Tachileik, in mountains near the border with Thailand.

Local people told the BBC that in the villages of Tarlay and Mong Lin alone more than 60 people had been killed. Roads and bridges have been damaged making affected areas hard to reach.

"We are trying to reach the remote areas," one official told AFP news agency. "The military, police and local authorities are trying to find some people injured in those affected areas but the roads are still closed."

The earthquake hit at 1355 GMT on Thursday and was centred about 70 miles (110 km) from the northern Thai city of Chiang Rai, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. The quake was shallow, at a depth of 6.2 miles (10km). The tremor was felt in many parts of neighbouring Thailand.

One woman was killed in the border town of Mae Sai and slight damage has been reported to some buildings but major towns and cities appear to have escaped relatively unscathed, our correspondent says. In neighbouring Laos, no casualties have been reported.

The head of the disaster preparedness for the Red Cross there, Bountheun Menevilay, said the quake was felt strongly in the thinly populated border provinces of Luang Namtha and Bokeo.

Earlier reports suggested there had been two strong earthquakes moments apart in the same area, but the USGS later clarified that there had been just one quake.

On 11 March, a 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck just north of the area, 225km (140 miles) southwest of Dali in Yunnan, southern China. That was the same day as the 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami hit Japan; however, Japan is on a different tectonic plate.

Two Koreas Agree on Rare Volcano Talks Next Week

March 24, 2011

AP – South Korea says scientists from the two Koreas will meet next week to discuss joint research into an active volcano extolled in the North as the sacred birthplace of leader Kim Jong Il.

The talks could spark a rare bit of cooperation between the Koreas.

North Korea offered last week to discuss joint research on volcanic activities at its Mount Paektu, the highest peak on the peninsula. South Korea later proposed the countries' civilian experts discuss the matter at a South Korean border village on March 29.

Seoul's Unification Ministry says the North agreed Thursday to the offer, saying it will send three volcanologists to the meeting.

The volcano last erupted in 1903, but minor earthquakes increased there between 2002 and 2005.