Myanmar earthquake: Magnitude 6.9 tremor hits Asian nation with impact felt in northern India

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake has struck Myanmar with tremors felt as far away as Bangladesh and eastern India near where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are visiting.

The quake, which struck at 7.25pm local time (1.55pm BST) Wednesday (13 April) was also felt in the eastern Indian states of Assam and West Bengal, including in Assam's Kaziranga National Park, where the royal couple is on tour.

A spokeswoman for the British High Commission in New Delhi said the royal couple, who are spending the night in the park area and will leave for neighbouring Bhutan on Thursday (14 April), were safe, Associated Press reported.

Although there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage the epicentre was in the jungles and hills around 220km northwest of the second city Mandalay. AP said that a hospital in the biggest city Yangon shook strongly twice at least for a minute.

The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS) initially said the earthquake was expected to have a high humanitarian impact, based on the magnitude of the activity and the affected population and their vulnerability.

Many took to social media to share their accounts of the quake.

The Hindustan Times reported that people left their homes panicked by the tremors, and gathered in the streets to avoid being inside buildings.