A Myanmar Muslim organisation says more than 700 worshipers were killed when the 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck the country on Friday (March 28) during prayer time in the holy month of Ramadan.Tun Kyi, a member of the steering committee of the Spring Revolution Myanmar Muslim Network, said Monday that some 60 mosques were damaged or destroyed when the 7.7 magnitude quake hit near Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city.
It was not immediately clear whether those killed in the mosques were included in the official toll of more than 1,700 people killed in the earthquake so far.
Videos posted on The Irrawaddy online news site showed several mosques toppling during the quake, and people fleeing from the areas.Tun Kyi said most of the mosques damaged were older buildings more vulnerable to earthquakes.
