7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes near Mandalay

he Department of Meteorology and Hydrology has announced that a very strong earthquake measuring 7.7 magnitude on the Richter scale has struck near the city of Mandalay.

 The earthquake struck at 12:51:02 pm Myanmar time on March 28, and the epicentre was about 20 kilometers northeast of Mandalay and about 21 kilometres northeast of Mandalay seismological centre.

 The extremely strong earthquake caused extensive damage with people trapped in collapsed buildings and structures and fatalities, according to local reports.