The powerful earthquake, which had its epicenter in central Myanmar about 13 miles from Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, struck around 12:50 p.m. local time, the New York Times reported. It was followed by several tremors, including a 6.4 magnitude aftershock which occurred just 11 minutes later.

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Myanmar caused widespread shaking and likely considerable damage because of a lack of buildings built to withstand temblors

The quake shook a swath of Southeast Asia. Myanmar’s military government said 144 people were killed in just three cities. The U.S. Geological Survey estimated that the death toll was likely to surpass 1,