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6.8 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Central Myanmar

The ancient temples of Bagan has been damaged and at least one person is dead.
People stand outside their offices after they rushed outdoors following tremors in Kolkata, India.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
People stand outside their offices after they rushed outdoors following tremors in Kolkata, India.

A 6.8 magnitude earthquake has hit central Myanmar, damaging ancient temples in Bagan.

The BBC has reported that 22-year-old man was killed following a building collapse in Pakokku, 70 kilometres from the epicentre of the earthquake.

Tremors were felt as far away as India, Thailand and Bangladesh. At least 20 people were injured as they fled a building in the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, according to local media reports.

The Myanmar city of Bagan is famous for its more than 2,000 Buddhist monuments, including pagodas and temples. Videos and photos posted on social media show many badly badly and crumbled.

The epicentre was 84 kilometres underground, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was focused just 25 kilometres away from the nearest town, Chauk, which is home to 90,000 people.

It is the second major seismic event in two days, following the devastating 6.2 magnitude earthquake in central Italy which has killed at least 73 people.

By comparison, the epicentre of that earthquake was just 10 kilometres underground and 6.6 kilometres from the small Italian town of Accumoli, leaving much of the town in rubble.

Recovery efforts in central Italy are still underway, as people remain trapped alive under the rubble.

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