Earthquake jolts northern Myanmar state

Asian Economic News, June 12, 2000

BANGKOK, June 8 Kyodo

An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale jolted Myanmar's northern state of Kachin on Thursday, a Thai earthquake monitoring center said.

The quake struck at 5:17 a.m. local time and lasted several minutes, according to an official at the center.

The epicenter was about 884 kilometers northwest of the northern Thai province of Chiang Mai, where the center is located, and some 100 kilometers north of Myitkyina, a major city in Kachin.

A quake of such magnitude could be serious if it strikes a town, as it could damage concrete buildings, according to the official.

Myanmar's northern states are prone to earthquakes as a geological fault runs through the northeastern part of the country, the official said.