5.5 magnitude tremor rattles central Myanmar just two weeks after earthquake that killed over 4,400

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck central Myanmar on Sunday (April 13) morning, adding fresh strain to a country already reeling from a deadly quake just over two weeks ago.

The latest tremor hit near the small city of Meiktila, midway between Mandalay and the capital Naypyitaw, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Myanmar’s Meteorological Department recorded the quake at a depth of 20 kilometres, while US authorities estimated a shallower depth of 7.7 kilometres.

The quake, one of the strongest aftershocks since the catastrophic 7.7-magnitude earthquake on March 28, occurred as civil war-ravaged Myanmar continues to grapple with a massive humanitarian crisis.

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Officials said there were no immediate reports of major damage or casualties from the Sunday tremor, although residents in Wundwin township, near the epicentre, reported cracked ceilings and frightened crowds fleeing buildings.

The March 28 quake devastated parts of central Myanmar, killing at least 3,649 people and injuring more than 5,000, according to a statement on Friday by Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, spokesperson for the military regime. Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, was among the hardest hit. Government buildings in Naypyitaw also sustained damage.

The United Nations last week warned that the scale of destruction from the March quake could deepen Myanmar’s existing humanitarian emergency. It said the quake severely disrupted agricultural production and that a health emergency loomed because many medical facilities in the quake zone were damaged or destroyed.

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Even before the disaster, more than 3 million people had been displaced due to the civil war in the country. The UN said food production had been severely disrupted and that a health crisis was looming, with many medical centres damaged or destroyed in the quake zone.

Sunday’s quake occurred on the morning of the first day of the country’s three-day Thingyan holiday, which celebrates the traditional New Year. Public festivities for the holiday had already been cancelled.

With inputs from AP