Fears death toll will mount after Myanmar quake
Source: Agencies |
March 26, 2011, Saturday
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Print Edition
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A POWERFUL earthquake that toppled homes in northeastern Myanmar has killed more than 70 people, and yesterday there were fears the toll would mount as conditions in more remote areas became known.
The magnitude-7.2 quake on Thursday night was centered just north of the town of Tachileik in the mountains along the Thai border. It was felt hundreds of kilometers away in the Thai capital Bangkok and Vietnamese capital Hanoi.
Myanmar state radio said last night that at least 74 people had been killed and 111 injured in the quake. It said 390 houses, 14 Buddhist monasteries and nine government buildings were damaged.
An official from the United Nations' World Food Program said there were many casualties and serious damage in Mong Lin village, eight kilometers from Tachileik. State radio said 29 were killed there and 16 injured.
The New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that 15 houses collapsed in the town of Tarlay, where the radio said 11 people were killed and 29 injured.
Another UN 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 four-year-old boy.
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, a woman was killed when a wall fell on her, police said. Damage was otherwise minimal.
The second UN official said medicine would be sent to affected areas as soon as possible along with an assessment team in cooperation with the Myanmar Red Cross Society.
Most of rural Myanmar is underdeveloped, with poor communications and other infrastructure, and minimal rescue and relief capacity.
The magnitude-7.2 quake on Thursday night was centered just north of the town of Tachileik in the mountains along the Thai border. It was felt hundreds of kilometers away in the Thai capital Bangkok and Vietnamese capital Hanoi.
Myanmar state radio said last night that at least 74 people had been killed and 111 injured in the quake. It said 390 houses, 14 Buddhist monasteries and nine government buildings were damaged.
An official from the United Nations' World Food Program said there were many casualties and serious damage in Mong Lin village, eight kilometers from Tachileik. State radio said 29 were killed there and 16 injured.
The New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that 15 houses collapsed in the town of Tarlay, where the radio said 11 people were killed and 29 injured.
Another UN 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 four-year-old boy.
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, a woman was killed when a wall fell on her, police said. Damage was otherwise minimal.
The second UN official said medicine would be sent to affected areas as soon as possible along with an assessment team in cooperation with the Myanmar Red Cross Society.
Most of rural Myanmar is underdeveloped, with poor communications and other infrastructure, and minimal rescue and relief capacity.
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