Deadly quake hits Myanmar

YANGON, Myanmar, March 24 (UPI) -- A magnitude-7 earthquake struck Shan State in northeastern Myanmar, killing at least 10 people, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The quake, with a shallow epicenter 6.2 miles deep, hit about 8:30 p.m. Thursday night in a mountainous area along Myanmar's borders with Thailand and Laos, the report said, quoting Myanmar's Meteorology and Hydrology Department. The quake was followed by a 5.4-magnitude aftershock hours later.

The BBC reported at least 11 people died in the disaster, adding the toll could rise and it would be a while before the scope of damage is known.

Tremors were felt as far as Bangkok and Hanoi, and the border areas of China.

The Xinhua report said the quake brought down buildings or structures and set off landslides.

The quake also was felt in Yangon. Myanmar was formerly called Burma, and Yangon is the present name of the former capital Rangoon.

The New York Times quoted television reports in Thailand as saying no serious damage was reported in the town of Chiang Rai.