Photo taken on Aug. 24, 2016 shows a damaged pagoda due to eartquake at Bagan in Mandalay region, Myanmar. A strong earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale rocked Myanmar Wednesday at 05:04:54 p.m. local time, according to the country's Meteorology and Hydrology Department. (Xinhua/Khaing Zaw)
YANGON, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- A strong earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale rocked Myanmar Wednesday at 05:04:54 p.m. local time, according to the country's Meteorology and Hydrology Department.
With an epicenter 197.9 kilometers southwest of Mandalay and 19.3 kilometers west of Chauk, the quake jolted most parts of the country including Nay Pyi Taw and Yangon.
The quake shook buildings and damaged electricity supply in many parts of the country, according to residents of quake-hit areas.
No immediate and detailed official report is available on quake casualties, except that one died in Pakkoku which is yet to be confirmed.
However, initial reports said some religious buildings in Bagan-Nyaung Oo collapsed and part of the building of the House of Nationalities in Nay Pyi Taw was found cracked.
The powerful quake was also felt in neighboring Bangladesh and several Indian states including West Bengal, Bihar and Assam, with thousands of panic-stricken people rushed outdoors following the jolts that lasted for seconds.
"I rushed out of the building and saw vehicles shaking on road," Atul Anand, a local resident told Xinhua over telephone from Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal.
So far there has not been no immediate report of loss of life or damage to buildings in the two neighboring countries.
