Myanmar earthquake 2012

The earthquake was caused by right lateral movement on the Sagaing Fault between Singu and Tagaung, with a rupture length of 60-70 km, and was followed by three large (M≥5) aftershocks in the area south of the main shock epicenter and one to the north

Damage

Many buildings, including monasteries, pagodas, a hospital, and a school collapsed in Male and neighboring villages. Damage was also reported from Shwebo, Mogok and Mandalay.^[7] The Radana Thinga Bridge, which was still under construction, fell into the Irrawaddy River, and several workers went missing.

Burma earthquake leaves at least 12 feared dead

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake has struck northern Burma, destroying a bridge and a goldmine and leaving up to 12 people feared dead.

The full extent of the damage caused by the quake on Sunday morning remains unclear as the country has a limited official disaster response system.

Mandalay, Burma's second-biggest city and the nearest population hub to the earthquake, reported no casualties or widespread damage. The city lies about 72 miles south of the quake's epicenter, near the town of Shwebo.

Myanmar struggles to reach quake victims

Myanmar rescuers struggled Monday to bring help to outlying villages hit by an earthquake that aid agencies say has killed at least 13 and caused a bridge and mine to collapse.

A series of powerful aftershocks rattled nerves after Sunday’s 6.8-magnitude quake, which sent terrified people running from their homes in Myanmar’s second-biggest city of Mandalay and surrounding villages.

Authorities said they were providing help to victims including those without shelter after more than 100 homes were damaged but that communication problems made it difficult to assess the scale of damage and reach more remote areas.
Villagers in settlements north of Mandalay told AFP Monday they had yet to see rescue teams following the quake, which left dozens injured and also damaged monasteries and public buildings

Earthquake in upper Myanmar alarm for disaster preparation

Experts have described a devastating earthquake that hit upper Myanmar last week as a “wake up call” about the urgent need for better earthquake preparedness, particularly in urban areas.

The experts said the 6.8-magnitude, Sunday, November 11 quake, which had its epicentre near Shwebo, could also increase seismic activity in other segments of the Sagaing Fault, the country’s most earthquake-prone region.

The Sagaing Fault is a 1500-kilometre-long right lateral strike-slip fault running from northern Myanmar to Gulf of Mottama.

The fault has three particularly vulnerable segments: Bago to Taungoo, Sagaing to Tagaung and Myitkyina to Putao.

Experts said last week’s shallow-focus earthquake, which severely jolted towns in Mandalay and Sagaing Region, was the strongest to hit the Sagaing section of the fault in about 60 years.

Dr Win Swe, vice president of the Myanmar Earthquake Committee, who discovered the Sagaing Fault in the 1970s, said populated area along the fault needed to be better prepared for future earthquakes.

He said earthquakes would have a disproportionately large impact in future because of the dramatic increase in urban populations and associated structures that could be considered man-made hazards in the event of a quake.

“There were no high-rise concrete buildings in Bago in 1930 earthquake, which recorded a magnitude of about 7.0. About 400 people died in Bago, while about 50 casualties were recorded in Yangon. At the time the total population of the country was about 14-15 million. We need to consider the differences between Bago and Yangon then and now – those differences will mean there will be a different impact between past and future earthquakes,” he said.

Myanmar Earthquake 2012: 6.8 Magnitude Quake Kills At Least 12

A strong earthquake collapsed a bridge and damaged ancient Buddhist pagodas in northern Myanmar, and piecemeal reports from the underdeveloped mining region said mines collapsed and as many as 12 people were feared dead.

Myanmar's Vice President Sai Mauk Hkam visited the damaged sites Monday, while authorities resumed their search for four missing workers near the collapsed bridge over the Irrawaddy River in Kyaukmyaung.

A slow release of official information left the actual extent of the damage unclear after Sunday morning's magnitude-6.8 quake. Myanmar has a poor official disaster response system and lost upward of 140,000 people to a devastating cyclone in 2008.

"We have been told by the director of Relief and Resettlement Department that there were seven dead and 45 injured as of late Sunday evening. The figure could fluctuate," said Ashok Nigam, the U.N. development program's resident representative. He told The Associated Press that U.N. agencies had offered aid but "no formal request has been made yet."

Myanmar's second-biggest city of Mandalay is the nearest population center to the main quake but reported no casualties or major damage. Mandalay lies about 117 kilometers (72 miles) south of the epicenter near the town of Shwebo, and the smaller towns in the area that is a center for mining of minerals and gemstones were worse hit.

State media's Sunday evening news said damage included 102 homes, 21 religious buildings, 48 government offices and four schools in the town of Thabeikyin. The gold-mining town is near the epicenter and had three dead and 35 injured.

The official tally overall is six killed and 64 injured, while independently compiled tallies say about a dozen people died.