Akhir 20, 1432 H/ March 25, 2011, SPA -- A magnitude-6.8 earthquake killed at least 27 people in north-east Myanmar and one in Thailand, officials said Friday. According to dpa, at least 27 people died and 50 were injured in Tali, the village nearest the epicentre in north-eastern Myanmar, officials said. "We got the information from Shan state that the worst area was Tali town in eastern Shan state," said a provincial official who requested anonymity. "The causalities will be higher when we can update them," the official said in a telephone interview. Tali is just 24 kilometres from border the Thai-Myanmar town of Tachilek, 680 kilometres north of Bangkok. At least two villages in Tachilek sustained serious damage in the quake, according to World Vision, a disaster relief organization. There were no reports on causalities in Yangon and Naypyitaw. The earthquake struck at 8:25 pm (1355 GMT) Thursday, with its epicentre in north-east Myanmar, 589 kilometres northeast of Yangon, Myanmar's old capital, and 772 kilometres north of Bangkok, according to the United States Geological Survey. In Chiang Rai, Thailand, Hong Khamping, 55, died when a concrete wall in her home collapsed on top of her. The wall was poorly constructed, Thai officials said. "There were no other deaths or injuries in northern Thailand," said Chiatha Mositrat, head of the Chiang Rai Disaster Prevention Office. Tourists in Chiang Rai, including members of the Syrian triathlon team, evacuated their hotel rooms for several hours.
