Earthquake Destroyed 50,000 Houses in Central Myanmar: Junta

New official figures for the first time give a sense of the scale of the destruction wrought by the powerful March 28 earthquake in central Myanmar.

The military regime on Wednesday said the quake destroyed or damaged 48,834 residential buildings and 5,275 pagodas and stupas in Naypyitaw, Mandalay, Sagaing, and Bago regions, and Shan State.

It also wrecked 3,094 monasteries and nunneries, 2,045 schools, 167 healthcare facilities, 2,171 departmental offices, 198 dams, and 148 bridges. The Yangon-Naypyitaw-Mandalay highway and railway were also heavily affected, with damage reported in 148 sections along the route.