Dhaka, March 28 -- The strong earthquake of 7.7 magnitude and the aftershock measuring at 6.8 on the Richter scale in Myanmar have wreaked havoc, but the Bangladeshis are "safe", according to Md Monwar Hossain, the Bangladesh ambassador to Myanmar.

On Friday, he posted on Facebook: "All Bangladeshi citizens in Myanmar are safe. Allah be praised."

At least 144 people in Myanmar have been killed and 732 injured by a major earthquake that struck the country on Friday, Reuters cited state-run MRTV on Friday.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake, which struck at lunchtime, was of 7.7 magnitude and at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). The epicentre was about 17 km from Mandalay, which has a population of about 1.5 million. ...