A magnitude-7.7 earthquake centered in Myanmar rocked Southeast Asia on Friday (March 28), causing multiple casualties and extensive damage. Myanmar's military government said more than 2,000 people lost their lives in the country as a result of the earthquake.
Rescuers in Bangkok, the capital and largest city of neighboring country Thailand, are searching for 110 people believed to be trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building.
Highlights
- A 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar, causing extensive damage and over a thousand casualties.
- The quake caused the collapse of an unfinished skyscraper in Bangkok, Thailand, where hundreds of people were working.
- Myanmar's military regime is seeking international aid amid the widespread destruction.
A video shows a 30-story skyscraper in Bangkok, which had been under construction, collapsing into a pile of rubble as people ran from the site.
Image credits: Anusak Laowilas/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Thai officials confirmed that 10 people lost their lives after the building collapsed. Additionally, 110 construction workers are reportedly missing.
Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul stated that rescue teams would work through the night. He attributed the collapse to the failure of the building's lower columns.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake, which struck at lunchtime, was of 7.7 magnitude and at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).
The epicenter was about 17 km (10 miles) from the Myanmar city of Mandalay, which has a population of approximately 1.5 million.
It is the largest to hit Myanmar, one of Asia's poorest nations, since 1946, when an earthquake estimated to be 7.6 to 7.7 also occurred along the Sagaing Fault.
"We all ran out of the house as everything started shaking," a resident of Mandalay told Reuters. "I witnessed a five-story building collapse in front of my eyes. Everyone in my town is out on the road and no one dares to go back inside buildings."
Myanmar state media said the quake caused the collapse of buildings in five cities and towns, as well as a railway bridge and a road bridge on the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway.
Footage shows the destroyed Ava Bridge over the Irrawaddy River, with its arches leaning into the water.
Tremors were also felt across Thailand and in China
Image credits: Pyaye Phyo/Facebook
Another video shows a rooftop pool in Thailand overflowing from the edges of a swaying building.
The earthquake was followed by a powerful aftershock and several more moderate ones.
It has also caused extensive damage to historic buildings, including the Mandalay Palace, which was built in the 1850s by Myanmar's royal family.
The ancient Shwe Sar Yan Pagoda temple, which is said to be over 1,000 years old, also collapsed. Footage shows residents screaming as a tower snaps and falls from the temple.
Other videos show a fire engulfing Mandalay University. It is unclear how the fire started.
Joe Freeman, Amnesty International’s Myanmar researcher, said the tragedy could "not have come at a worst time” for the country, which has been ruled by a military junta since 2021. The military coup then sparked a civil war.
"There are so many issues already impacting civilians there—military airstrikes, clashes between resistance groups and the military and different towns under different control,” he told the BBC.
As a result of the armed conflict, more than three million people have been internally displaced in Myanmar. The United Nations stated that more than a third of the population are in need of humanitarian aid.
The quake is the largest to hit Myanmar since 1946
Image credits: SumitHansd
The military government has made a rare request for international help, as per the French news agency AFP.
“We want the international community to give humanitarian aid as soon as possible,” Zaw Min Tun, a spokesman for the military junta, told AFP reporters at a hospital.
The Myanmar Red Cross Society has deployed a response team to Mandalay.
It said electricity and internet are down in several parts of Myanmar, including Mandalay and Sagaing.
“Public infrastructure has been damaged including roads, bridges and public buildings,” said Marie Manrique, Myanmar Program Coordinator for the International Federation of the Red Cross.
“We currently have concerns for large scale dams that people are watching to see the conditions of them. We anticipate the impact to be quite large.”
Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said the situation in Thailand is “starting to ease” and people can safely return indoors after the quake created an “emergency zone” in Bangkok.
Image credits: SumitHansd
“It is now safe for everyone to return to their accommodations,” Shinawatra said.
“The buildings with issues are those under construction, where both structural integrity and wall stability are concerns.”
Shinawatra stated that there is no risk of a tsunami, as the earthquake occurred far enough from the shore.
“We want to reassure the public that the aftershocks following this event will not pose a significant threat. Residents of high-rise buildings that sustained minor damage can safely return to their residences.”
Rescuers in Bangkok, the capital city of neighboring country Thailand, are searching for 110 construction workers trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building
Sunan Kenkiat, a 31-year-old who was working on the fire sprinkler system at the skyscraper before it collapsed, described the terrifying moment he narrowly escaped disaster.
“It was shaking and I felt dizzy,” he told CNN of the moment the building began to rock. “After that, debris like cement pieces started falling down, and the shaking got stronger, so I shouted for everyone to run.
“After the boom, I couldn’t see anything. I was just running to find a way out. I started looking for my coworkers. Things got chaotic and people were starting to leave.
“My body was covered in white dust. When I got outside, the rescue team helped wipe off the dust. I thought if I hadn’t been able to avoid cement slab, I might have d*ed from the dust.”
"Sending prayers to all who have been affected," one person wrote
