66 people are dead and dozens seriously injured after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit military-ruled Burma on Thursday night, Burmese military authorities said.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the earthquake struck at 8:25 p.m. (1355 GMT) on Thursday, with its epicenter in northeastern Burma, 590 km north-east of Rangoon (Yangon) city in Burma, and 772 km north of Bangkok.

The quake left heavy damage and casualties in Tachileik district in Shan State, bordering Northern Thailand. 29 people died in Mong Linn (or Mai Linn) village, 22 people- including seven Burmese soldiers- in Lahu village called Kya Ko Ne, 11 in the town of Tarlay and 3 people including a Burmese soldier in Tachileik, according to authorities in those areas.

In Tarlay, about seven people were seriously injured in the quake, a local villager said.

A 52-year old woman was killed in Mae Sai, Thailand, opposite Tachileik, after a wall in her house collapsed in the quake, local Thai authorities said.

According to witnesses, hundreds of houses and building were damaged. There are many cracks in houses, buildings, roads and bridges in the area of the Tachileik-Keng Tung road, made by tremors from five massive aftershocks.

The number of casualties may rise because most buildings and houses in the district are not constructed to be earthquake-proof, according to a businessman in Tachileik.

Assistance and rescue operations have been requested by the four places in the district most affected by the quake, locals said.
Today, Burmese military authorities in Shan State, the Commander of Triangle Regional Command, based in Keng Tung, as well as Tachileik military authorities, are visiting the quake-hit areas of Tachileik, Tarlay, Kya Ko Ne and Mong Linn, locals said.