An earthquake near Rihkhawdar border town in Chin State on Monday morning has destroyed both civilian homes and public buildings.
According to Burma’s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, a moderate earthquake of 5.9 on the Richter scale occurred at 5:00 a.m. on June 22 with an epicenter near the India border, at a depth of four kilometers.
The ceiling of a Union hall in Rihkhawdar’s Ward 1 collapsed in the quake, and the front wall of the town’s information and public relations department was damaged.
The homes of three locals were also damaged, with cracks to the walls.
“I was so scared when the earthquake was happening this morning. The mirror broke. Drawers fell down. I have never had this kind of experience before,” a local woman, who lives in Rihkhawdar town, told Khonumthung News.
Director of the information and public relations department Lal Peklawma said that his office building can still be used, even with the cracks to the structure.
“People do not need to relocate, but they are really scared. They’ve never had an experience like this before,” Lal Peklawma, director of Rihkhawdar town’s information department, told Khonumthung News. “Nobody was hurt, but this was a strong earthquake,” he added.
Additionally, it was reported that some religious buildings across the border in Zokhawhtar village in India’s Mizoram State were also damaged in the earthquake.