Earthquake killed 11 people in Bhutan

A 6.3-magnitude quake shook the country in the Himalayas of Bhutan on September 21, leaving at least 11 people dead, destroying an ancient monastery and causing hundreds of people to flee in panic. disorder. In addition, at least 15 others were injured.

The first earthquake was announced in Gauhati, the capital of Assam state, northeastern India. But the epicenter is located in the sparsely-populated eastern region of the tiny country of Bhutan.

Bhutan is a country named Himalya, which is ' clamped ' between China and India. Most of the territory is sparsely populated, with only walking paths and no electricity or telephone.

' We are trying to gather information to assess the damage ,' said Ugyen Tenzing, Bhutan's disaster management director, from the capital Thimphu.

He said at least seven people were killed when their homes in eastern districts collapsed. Rescue workers are currently searching for survivors under the ruins of other houses. Most of the houses in the area are small farmers, built by hand from mud and stone.

India's four highway construction workers were also killed because of the road they were constructing in Bhutan's Samdrup Jhongkar district. This district is adjacent to India. In addition, at least 15 people were injured.

In Trashigang district more than 200 Buddhist monks and 100 local officials were forced to evacuate an ancient monastery, destroyed in the earthquake.

For centuries, most Bhutanese have been ruled by monasteries and today many of these monasteries are used as government offices.

The US Geological Survey said the 6.3-magnitude quake, which has a epicenter 125km from north Gauhati and 180km east of Thimphu, is 7.2km deep. This area in 1950 and 1897 suffered major earthquakes. In recent weeks, Assam has been constantly shaken by a series of small earthquakes.

The earthquake shook the Bhutanese capital for a moment. In addition, the earthquake felt in Bangladesh and Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. However, these areas are not damaged.

Meanwhile, after 2 am this morning, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake rocked northwestern Myanmar, causing no casualties, but made Buddhist temples built from the 11th century. damage.