Quake damages religious buildings in Myanmar

KATHAR, Myanmar (Eleven Media Group/ANN): A moderate earthquake of magnitude 5.0 on the Richter Scale with its epicentre inside Myanmar was recorded on Wednesday (March 4) the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DNH) announced.

“It is near the Sagaing Fault, and it is likely that the quake was initiated by the fault. The depth is shallow and damage is expected to be substantial, depending on the quality of the buildings,” said DMH director-general Dr Kyaw Moe Oo.

“The quake may damage old buildings, ” said seismologist Tint Lwin Swe.

Religious buildings in Yan Aung Myin Satae Mingalar Monastery in Mawlu, Inntaw Township, Sagaing Region are among those damaged.

“The archway of the Yan Aung Myin Satae Mingalar Monastery is collapsed and walls are cracked. A bridge crossing over a creek is raised by about a foot. I heard that a wall of a monastery had collapsed,” said a local.

According to the Myanmar Earthquake Committee, many of the earthquakes in the country are caused by the Indian tectonic plate moving against the Myanmar plate. - Eleven Media Group/Asia News Network