Deadly Myanmar quake: What we know so far

Al Etihad

29-03-2025

30 Mar 2025 00:17
Bangkok (AFP)A powerful earthquake centred in Myanmar has killed more than 1,600 people in the country and neighbouring Thailand -- and caused widespread damage.
Here is what we know:
Powerful, and shallow The 7.7-magnitude quake hit northwest of Myanmar's Sagaing at 12:50 pm (0620 GMT) on Friday at a shallow depth.It was followed minutes later by a powerful 6.7-magnitude aftershock and a dozen smaller tremors.The quake was felt across the region, with shaking reported from India to the west and China to the east, as well as Cambodia and Laos.It was the biggest quake to hit Myanmar in decades, according to geologists.The quake hit along the Sagaing Fault that runs from the coast to Myanmar's northern border, according to earthquake scientists Judith Hubbard and Kyle Bradley.It "has long been considered one of the most dangerous strike-slip faults on Earth" because of its proximity to major cities Yangon and Mandalay, as well as the capital Naypyidaw, they wrote in an analysis.The fault is comparatively simple and straight, which geologists believe can lead to especially large quakes, they added.
Over 1,600 killed At least 1,644 people were killed and more than 3,400 injured in Myanmar, the ruling junta said in a statement.The toll is expected to rise significantly, given the widespread destruction across the country.Years of civil war have weakened the country's emergency and health services, leaving them ill-equipped to respond to such a disaster.In Thailand, 10 people were killed in Bangkok, most in the collapse of an under-construction skyscraper.The city's governor said 79 people were still unaccounted for at the building, near the sprawling Chatuchak market.
Widespread damage With communications badly disrupted in Myanmar, the true scale of the disaster is only starting to emerge from the isolated military-ruled state.There was massive destruction in Mandalay, where multiple buildings collapsed into piles of rubble and twisted metal coated in dust, dotted with people attempting rescues.The Ava bridge running across the Irrawaddy river from Sagaing, built nearly 100 years ago, collapsed into the swirling waters below.There were reports of damage to Mandalay airport, potentially complicating relief efforts, as well as to the city's university and palace, according to the Red Cross.In Naypyidaw, AFP reporters saw buildings toppled and roads ruptured.At a hospital in the capital, patients were being treated outdoors after the quake damaged the building, bringing down the emergency department's entrance.Electricity outages were reported in several places, with power limited to four hours in Yangon due to quake damage.Communications across affected areas were also patchy, with phone networks largely down.In Bangkok, a crane collapsed at a second building site and the city shut down metro and light rail services overnight to inspect for damage.Several hundred people slept in parks overnight, city authorities said, either unable to get home or worried about the structural integrity of their buildings.The quake prompted thousands of people to flee shaking buildings in Thailand, where quakes are rare.Even hospitals were evacuated, with one woman delivering a baby in the street in Bangkok, and a surgeon continuing to operate on a patient after being forced to leave the theatre mid-surgery.
Aid pleas, offers The scale of the devastation prompted Myanmar's regime to make a rare plea for international assistance.Myanmar's junta chief invited "any country, any organisation" to help with relief and said he "opened all ways for foreign aid".Offers of assistance flooded in, including a flight from neighbour India arriving in Yangon on Saturday, carrying hygiene kits, blankets, food parcels and other essentials.China sent teams of rescuers while the European Union pledged support, and US President Donald Trump said Washington had "already spoken" with Myanmar about aid."It's a real bad one, and we will be helping," he told reporters.
The World Health Organization said it was preparing to surge support in response to "a very, very big threat to life and health".