Soldiers, residents begin cleanup after quake in Myanmar
BAGAN, Myanmar — Using brooms and their hands, soldiers and residents of an ancient Myanmar city famous for its historic Buddhist temples began cleaning up debris Thursday from a powerful earthquake that shook the region, damaging nearly 200 pagodas.
At least four people were killed and at least 171 pagodas were damaged in Bagan after a 6.8 magnitude quake struck the area on Wednesday. The tremor was centred about 25 kilometres (15 miles) west of Chauk, just south of Bagan.
The city is one of Myanmar’s top tourist attractions, drawing visitors from all over the world who can view a panorama of temples stretching to the horizon flanked by the Irrawaddy River.
Maria Gomez, a Portuguese tourist, said she was walking to the river to watch the sunset when “we felt the Earth moving. Everybody was very scared and everybody was shouting.”