Magnitude-7.9 quake hits Myanmar

A magnitude-7.9 earthquake rocked central Myanmar on Friday, sending strong tremors to neighboring regions, including southwestern China, as well as parts of South and Southeast Asia.

By Friday night, 144 people had been killed and 732 injured in the powerful earthquake in Myanmar, the local government told Xinhua. Many more casualties are likely due to the collapse of housing and other facilities, according to local residents.

The earthquake took place at 2:20 pm (Beijing time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. The epicenter was monitored at 21.85 degrees north latitude and 95.95 degrees east longitude. The quake struck at a depth of 30 kilometers. The CENC said in a social media post that this was the strongest earthquake recorded so far this year.