... not a single Indonesian national has been found among the victims of the disaster."
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A spokesman for the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said no Indonesian nationals are reported to be among the victims of the earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale that struck Central Myanmar, so far.

"Based on the information from the Indonesian Embassy in Myanmar, not a single Indonesian national has been found among the victims of the disaster," the spokesman of the ministry Arrmanatha Nasir said here on Thursday.

However, the Embassy will continue to monitor any developments in the field and to coordinate with the local authorities.

Chauk town, where the earthquake was centered, is located 35 kilometers (km) from the capital city of Bagan, Myanmar's ancient city, which is known as the city of four million pagodas. The area is a main tourist destination in Myanmar.

Based on the 2014 census data, the city has a population of 45 thousand, and 185 thousand people live in the surrounding region.

Based on the data, Arrmanatha pointed out that the number of Indonesian citizens living in Myanmar is about 609.

Following the earthquake, the Indonesian government has extended condolences to the families of the earthquake victims.

Reuters had earlier reported that a powerful earthquake shook central Myanmar on Wednesday, killing at least three people, including two children, and damaging scores of centuries-old Buddhist pagodas around the ancient capital of Bagan.

The 6.8 magnitude quake shook buildings across the Southeast Asian country, with tremors felt as far away as Thailand, where witnesses reported high rise towers swaying in Bangkok, Bangladesh and eastern India.

"We felt quite a heavy shaking for about 10 seconds and started to evacuate the building when there was another strong tremor," said Vincent Panzani from the charity "Save the Children."

He spoke from Pakkoku, a small town located about 25 km (15 miles) northeast of Bagan, the centre of Myanmars rapidly expanding tourism industry.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake struck near the town of Chauk, on the Ayeyarwaddy River south of Bagan and about 175 km (110 miles) southwest of the countrys second biggest city Mandalay, just after 5 p.m. (1030 GMT).

Fire department and Red Cross officials said two children were killed in the small town of Yenanchaung, south of Chauk.

"Two young girls died when a pagoda collapsed on a river bank," said Moe Thidar Win, deputy director of the Disaster Management team at the Myanmar Red Cross Society.

"One man died in a Pakokku tobacco factory when the roof collapsed on him."

In Bagan, a female tourist was injured at a pagoda, said local official Khin Mya Lwin.

The Ministry of Information said nearly 100 of Bagans famed pagodas, mostly built between the 11th and 13th centuries, have been damaged.

Bagan has around 2 thousand to 3 thousand pagodas and temples, spread over a 42 square km plain ringed by mist-covered mountains. It rivals Cambodias Angkor Wat and Borobudur in Indonesia as Asias premier archaeological site.
(Uu.A063/INE/KR-BSR/A014)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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