BANGKOK, May 16 (Reuters) - A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck northern Laos on Wednesday, shaking buildings as far away as Bangkok, the Thai capital around 800 km (500 miles) to the south, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The USGS Web site (quake.wr.usgs.gov) said the quake, which hit at 0856 GMT, was 92 miles (148 km) from the ancient Lao capital of Luang Prabang, a world heritage site on account of its centuries-old Buddhist pagodas and temples.

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