Northern Myanmar shaken by quake

Northern Myanmar shaken by quake

YANGON (AP): A strong earthquake struck northern Myanmar early on Thursday, but no major damage or casualties were reported in the main town nearest the epicenter.

The quake, which occurred at 4:17 a.m. (4:47 a.m. Jakarta time), was centered 150 kilometers north of Myitkyina, a remote town near the northern tip of Myanmar, a Southeast Asian country also known as Burma.

An official from Myanmar's meteorology department in Yangon said the quake had a magnitude of 6.6. The Northern Meteorological Center in Chiang Mai, Thailand -- 884 kilometers southeast of the epicenter -- measured it at 6.35.

Quakes of that strength can cause severe damage if they hit heavily-populated areas.

There was a second trembler of 5.6 magnitude in the same area about two hours after the first, Myanmar's meteorology department said.