A strong earthquake struck Myanmar tonight and was felt in parts of eastern India and Bangladesh, causing residents to rush out of their homes in panic. There were no immediate reports of serious injuries or major damage.
The magnitude-6.9 quake struck at a depth of 135 kilometers, 396 kilometers north of Myanmar's capital, Naypyidaw, according to the US Geological Survey.
Residents in Myanmar's main city of Yangon panicked after the quake struck, but authorities there said there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
An Associated Press journalist who was in a hospital in Yangon at the time of the quake said the six-story building shook strongly twice, for at least a minute. Many people in the hospital, including patients, staff and visitors, ran out of the building and began calling their loved ones.
"I was sleeping on my bed when suddenly I felt the ground shaking. The first time it was intense, but the second time it was lighter," said Aung Thu, 25, who has been spending nights at the hospital for the last week to take care of his elder brother. "I had experienced this kind of earthquake before, so I was not that scared. But I was concerned because my brother is ill, and I need to take care of him."
He said he was on the third floor of the Shwegonedine Specialist Center hospital, and as soon as he felt the quake he called his wife and son to tell them to be "prepared for the worst."
The quake was centered in the jungle and hills around 220 kilometers northwest of Mandalay, Myanmar's second-biggest city. While the area is prone to earthquakes, it is generally sparsely populated, and most houses are low-rise structures.
Since the area is remote and the quake happened at night, a full assessment of the situation was not expected before tomorrow morning.
In Monywa, a city 136 kilometers northwest of Mandalay, Ko Hein Linn Htet, a 23-year-old hotel receptionist, said there was no major damage in the city, though there were some cracks along the walls in some buildings.
Zaw Myint Htoo, a 38-year-old resident of Mogok, 200 kilometers north of Mandalay, confirmed there was no major damage in that city.
People also reported feeling the quake in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, 484 kilometers from the epicenter.