MANILA, Philippines- There are no Filipino casualties in the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar's northeastern region, notably in the Shan state, that left at least 74 people dead.
In her report to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Ambassador Hellen Barber said the Philippine embassy in Myanmar is in close contact with the Filipino community in the country and making inquiries
As per Embassy's registry, there is no Filipino working in Shan state although there are about 340 Filipinos in Myanmar.
Tremors were felt as far away as Bangkok, almost 800 kilometers (500 miles) from the epicenter, Hanoi and parts of China when the earthquake hit late on Thursday.
Myanmar state radio announced Friday that 74 people had been killed and 111 injured in the quake, but was updating the total frequently. It said that 390 houses, 14 Buddhist monasteries, and nine government buildings were damaged.
“We are trying to reach the remote areas,” the official said.
An official from the UN's World Food Program said there were many casualties and serious damage in Mong Lin village, five miles (eight kilometers) from Tachileik. State radio said 29 were killed there and 16 injured.
The state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that 15 houses collapsed in the town of Tarlay, where state radio said 11 were killed and 29 injured. Another UN official said a small hospital there was partially damaged as well as a bridge, making it difficult to access the town.
The newspaper said another two people were killed in Tachileik, including a 4-year-old boy. It said six people were injured in the town, which is just across the border from Mae Sai in Thailand's Chiang Rai province.
In Mae Sai, one woman was killed when a wall fell on her, according to Thai police, but damage was otherwise minimal.
The second UN official said medicine would be sent to the affected areas as soon as possible along with an assessment team in cooperation with the Myanmar Red Cross Society.
Both UN officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Myanmar's government frowns on giving unauthorized information to the media.
Most of rural Myanmar, one of Asia's poorest countries, is underdeveloped, with poor communications and other infrastructure, and minimal rescue and relief capacity. The country's military government is also usually reluctant to release information about disasters because it is already sensitive to any criticism.
source: manila bulletin
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment