Strong quake kills 5

RANGOON, Burma — A strong earthquake struck northern Burma on Sunday, with local media reporting that five people were killed. Scattered damage and injuries also were reported in areas close to the quake’s epicenter.

According to news reports, the most significant damage appeared to be the collapse of a bridge under construction across the Irrawaddy River in the town of Shwebo, the location of the quake’s epicenter. The website of Weekly Eleven magazine said five people were killed when the bridge, which was 80 percent built, collapsed.

“This is the worst earthquake I felt in my entire life,” said Soe Soe, a 52-year-old Shwebo resident.

According to Soe Soe, the huge concrete gate of a monastery collapsed and several sculptures from another pagoda were damaged in the town.

Other damage was reported in Mogok, a major gem-mining area just east of the quake’s epicenter. Temples were damaged there, as were some abandoned ruby mines hit by landslides, said Sein Win, a resident.

An official from the Meteorological Department in Naypyitaw said the magnitude 6.8 quake struck at 7:42 a.m. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake’s magnitude as 6.6.

The quake was felt in Bangkok, the capital of neighboring Thailand. It comes just a week ahead of a scheduled visit to Burma, also known as Myanmar, by President Obama. He will be the first U.S. president to visit the one-time pariah nation, which is emerging from decades of military rule.