Thaindian News

YANGON, BURMA (BNO NEWS) — The powerful earthquake that struck eastern Myanmar (Burma) in March destroyed a Baptist church in which more than 200 people were praying, the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) said on Wednesday.

The 7.0-magnitude earthquake at 8.25 p.m. local time (1355 GMT) on March 24 was centered near the village of Loi Mwe in Myanmar’s Shan state, about 89 kilometers (55 miles) north of Chiang Rai in Thailand and 168 kilometers (104 miles) south-southwest of Yunjinghong in China. It struck about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the Myanmar Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH).

The extent of the damage and the number of casualties remains unclear more than two months later, although estimates have put the death toll at at least 150 with hundreds more injured. The restrictive Burmese government has released only few details about the disaster.

But the Baptist World Alliance confirmed on Wednesday that a Baptist church in Kyakuni, a mostly Lahu village in eastern Shan State, near the border with Thailand, collapsed as a result of the powerful earthquake. A total of 25 people were killed, while 57 others were injured.

“There are many teenage children among the dead. The earthquake hit when they were praying,” said U Kyar Khu, the head of Kyakuni village, according to the Myanmar Times. “About 200 people were in the church at the time. Because it is difficult to reach the road, the injured people were sent to the hospital only the next morning. Although they were in pain they were mourning the dead throughout the night.”

Kyakuni village, which was destroyed, can only be reached by motorbike in good weather. Extensive damage and fatalities were reported elsewhere. In the 50 most affected villages near the epicenter of the quake, more than 50 percent of buildings were severely damaged or destroyed.

There was extensive damage to roads and bridges, and communication was disrupted. Thirty-one churches and monasteries, 11 schools, and one hospital sustained severe damage.

Several BWA groups are still providing help in the region and the relief and development arm of the alliance has sent a grant of $10,000. The Asia Pacific Baptist Federation, one of the six regional fellowships of the BWA, sent another $5,000.

In addition, the Myanmar Baptist Convention (MBC) dispatched a two-member team to the different areas to do assessments. The MBC mobilized approximately $11,000 from local churches for emergency relief, and aims to help more than 1,200 families in 26 affected communities.

In addition to the casualties in Myanmar, a 55-year-old person was also killed in Thailand’s Chiang Rai when a wall fell over. The earthquake was also felt in China and Vietnam, but no casualties were reported there.

The earthquake in Myanmar in March was the country’s most devastating earthquake since a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck the country on May 5, 1930. It triggered a tsunami that impacted local coastlines, wiping out the ancient seaport and town of Pegu and leaving at least 550 people killed. Hundreds more were believed to have died in other towns, although exact numbers were never released.