State of emergency declared in Myanmar after huge earthquake
The earthquake struck near Mandalay, which is Myanmar's second-largest city with a population of about 1.5 million people. Twelve minutes after the first earthquake hit, another one struck, according to the USGS.The second was a magnitude of 6.4 and its epicentre was 18km (11.1 miles) south of Sagaing, the agency added.Soe Lwin, in Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, said he felt the first earthquake for a "long time" and added that residents are worried about the potential for more aftershocks.Follow live coverage of the earthquake hereBui Thu, a BBC journalist who lives in Bangkok, told the BBC World Service's Newsday programme that she was at home cooking when the initial quake happened."I was very nervous, I was very panicked," she said. "Buildings in Bangkok are not engineered for earthquakes, so I think that's why I think there's going to be big damage."Myanmar has been in political turmoil since a military junta seized power in a 2021 coup.The state controls almost all local radio, television, print and online media, and Internet use is restricted in the country, which often makes access to information difficult.
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