YANGON, Myanmar, March 25 (UPI) -- Relief agencies began assessing needs in Myanmar, where a major earthquake killed dozens of people and destroyed or damaged many buildings, U.N. officials said.
State radio in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, reported 65 people were killed and 111 injured in the 6.8-magnitude earthquake Thursday. The quake damaged at least 244 houses, 14 Buddhist monasteries, nine government buildings, and roads and bridges, reports indicated.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said at least six aftershocks were reported since the initial earthquake, increasing the risk of landslides, the United Nations said Friday in a release.
UNICEF officials said the agency was sending emergency health kits and first aid kits to the area near the quake's epicenter and was preparing to send water purification materials if necessary.
UNICEF and the U.N. World Health Organization deployed staffers to the area to assist local authorities, while the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the U.N. Development Program and the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime said they have emergency materials or staff on standby if local authorities request them.
The quake's epicenter was about 70 miles from Chiang Rai in Thailand, but it was felt in Bangkok and Hanoi when it hit Thursday, the BBC reported.
On the Thai side of the border, officials reported paddy fields and temples sustained damage and scores of people were injured.
There were no reports of casualties or major damage in Laos, the BBC said.
