5 dead as strong quake jolts Myanmar

PanARMENIAN.Net - A major earthquake hit central Myanmar on Sunday, November 11 near Mandalay, its second-biggest city, but reports suggested damage was limited and officials contacted knew of only five dead, although several construction workers were missing, Reuters said.

The 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck around 60 km (37 miles) northwest of Mandalay, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was quite shallow at around 10 km (6 miles) deep.

Several very strong aftershocks hit the region but there were no reports of serious damage in Mandalay.

Residents in Bangkok, the capital of neighboring Thailand, also felt the quake.

An official at Mandalay Meteorological Department said the epicenter was near the town of Shwebo and struck at 7:41 a.m. (0111 GMT).

Myanmar is among Asia's poorest countries.

A quasi-civilian government has opened up the country since taking over in March 2011 from the military, which had ruled for nearly 50 years.

The military regime was condemned by humanitarian agencies in 2008 for initially refusing international help to cope with Cyclone Nargis, which killed more than 130,000 people.

President Barack Obama is set to become the first U.S. leader to visit Myanmar this month, the strongest international endorsement of the country's fragile democratic transition.

Obama will travel to Myanmar during a November 17-20 tour of Southeast Asia that will also take in Thailand and Cambodia. It will be his first international trip since winning a second term last week.