Strong quake shakes Myanmar

Four dead, ancient Buddhist pagodas damaged in Bagan.

YANGON, MYANMAR — A powerful earthquake shook Myanmar on Wednesday, killing at least four people and damaging nearly a hundred ancient Buddhist pagodas in the former capital of Bagan, a major tourist site, officials said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.8 quake was centered about 15 miles west of Chauk, a town south of Bagan. It was located fairly far below the Earth’s surface at a depth of about50 miles, it said. Deep earthquakes generally cause less surface damage.

At least 185 brick pagodas in Bagan were damaged, the state newspaper reported. Bagan, also known as Pagan, has more than 2,200 structures, including pagodas and temples constructed in the 10th to the 14th centuries. Many are in disrepair while others have been restored in recent years, aided by the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO.

The vast site is the country’s premier attraction for tourists, who can view a panorama of temples stretching to the horizon, flanked by the mighty Irrawaddy River

Dr. Myo Thant, general secretary of the Myanmar Earthquake Committee, said other areas apparently were not badly affected.

Police officer Htay Win in Pakokku, 45 miles from the epicenter, said one person there had been killed and one injured. The Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement reported two other deaths in nearby Thitapwe village.