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Asharq Al-Awsat
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Powerful Quake in Southeast Asia Kills Several, Myanmar Declares State of Emergency
A powerful earthquake rocked Southeast Asia on Friday, killing several people, bringing down a skyscraper under construction in Bangkok and toppling buildings in neighboring Myanmar, where the ruling junta declared a state of emergency in some areas. At least three people were killed in the town of Taungoo in Myanmar when a mosque partially collapsed, witnesses said, while local media reported that at least two people died and 20 were injured after a hotel collapsed in Aung Ban. In Thailand, at least one person was killed and dozens of workers were rescued from under the rubble of the skyscraper that had been under construction in Bangkok, Thailand's National Institute of Emergency Medicine said. Bangkok's city authorities declared the capital a disaster-stricken area, saying they needed to assess and monitor damaged areas, and assist people who might still be at risk. In Bangkok, people ran out onto the streets in panic, many of them hotel guests in bathrobes and swimming costumes as water cascaded down from an elevated pool at a luxury hotel, witnesses said. 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). It was followed by a powerful aftershock. The epicenter was about 17.2 km from the Myanmar city of Mandalay, which has a population of about 1.5 million. Myanmar's ruling military declared a state of emergency in multiple regions. "The state will make inquiries on the situation quickly and conduct rescue operations along with providing humanitarian aid," it said on the Telegram messaging app. Mandalay is Myanmar's ancient royal capital and at the center of the country's Buddhist heartland. Social media posts showed collapsed buildings and debris strewn across streets in the city. Reuters could not immediately verify the posts. One witness in the city told Reuters: "We all ran out of the house as everything started shaking. I witnessed a five-storey 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." Another witness in the city, Htet Naing Oo, told Reuters that a tea shop had collapsed with several people trapped inside. "We couldn't go in," she said. "The situation is very bad." At least three people died after a mosque in Taungoo partially collapsed, two eyewitnesses told Reuters. "We were saying prayers when the shaking started... Three died on the spot," said one of two people who spoke to Reuters. Local media reported a hotel in Aung Ban, in Shan state, crumbled into rubble, with one outlet, the Democratic Voice of Burma, reporting two people had died and 20 were trapped. Video and images posted by Myanmar Now showed a roof cratered at a market in the capital, Naypyitaw. In Mandalay, the outlet's images showed a clock tower had collapsed and part of the wall by Mandalay Palace was in ruins. China's Xinhua news agency said strong tremors were felt in southwestern Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar, but there were no reports of casualties. Witnesses contacted in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, said many people ran out of buildings. One office tower in downtown Bangkok swayed from side to side for at least two minutes, with doors and windows creaking loudly, witnesses said. Hundreds of employees filed out via emergency stairs as some shocked and panicked workers froze. Loud shrieks could be heard as the building continued to sway. Outside, hundreds gathered in the afternoon sun, while staff with medical kits found office chairs for the elderly and people in shock. China's Xinhua news agency said strong tremors were felt in southwestern Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar, but there were no reports of casualties.
CNN
28-03-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Bangkok declared ‘emergency zone' as powerful 7.7-magnitude quake hits Myanmar with tremors felt across the region
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit the heart of war-ravaged Myanmar on Friday, triggering the collapse of buildings hundreds of miles away in Thailand, where authorities declared an 'emergency zone' in the capital Bangkok. Video posted online showed panicked residents across Myanmar and Thailand running from swaying residential towers as dust fills the air, and traffic comes to a sudden stop on busy city streets. Tremors were also felt in China's southwestern Yunnan province, which neighbors Myanmar. Myanmar's military junta has declared an 'emergency situation' across a swathe of the center of the country, including in the second most populous city Mandalay and the military-built capital of Naypyidaw. Thailand's prime minister also declared an 'emergency zone' in the Thai capital after the quake triggered the collapse of an under-construction high-rise building, killing at least one person and injuring 50 others. Authorities are racing to rescue dozens of others believed to be trapped under the rubble, Bangkok's National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM) said. Myanmar is already reeling from more than four years of civil war sparked by a bloody and economically destructive military coup, which has seen military forces battle rebel groups across the country. It remains one of Asia's poorest nations and is ill-equipped to deal with major natural disasters. The quake hit around 12:50 p.m. local time close to Mandalay, home to about 1.5 million people and historic temple complexes. Several aftershocks have since struck nearby, including one of 6.4 magnitude, according to the United States Geological Survey. The epicenter was recorded in Myanmar's central Sagaing region, which has been ravaged by the civil war, with the junta, pro-military militia and rebel groups battling for control and all running checkpoints, making travel by road or river extremely difficult. There was no immediate word from Myanmar authorities about the extent of the damage. Several people in Mandalay told Reuters news agency they saw buildings collapse. One person, who did not want to be named, said they saw a five-story building fall in the city and another, Htet Naing Oo, said a tea shop collapsed with several people trapped inside. One resident in Yangon, Myanmar's commercial hub and around 380 miles away from the epicenter, told CNN: 'We felt the quake for about one minute and then we ran out of the building.' 'We saw other people running out of the buildings too. It was very sudden and very strong.' Another resident said phone networks in the city home to around 8 million people were briefly down following the quake, but were now working again. A Yangon resident named Wang, who was on the 20th floor of a building when the quake hit, said 'people next to me were all scared to death.' 'The quake felt so strong, and lasted really long,' said Wang, who did not want to give her first name. Video obtained by CNN from Myanmar appeared to show a road bridge spanning the Irrawaddy River, which runs through Mandalay, collapsing into the river in a cloud of dust and water. A resident of Thailand's northern city of Chiang Mai, who did not want to be named, also said tremors were felt. 'I couldn't stay inside. So I rushed out onto the street,' they said. Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport said around two hours after the quake that it was operating as usual, in an update shared on X. This is a developing story and will be updated. CNN's Lex Harvey, Todd Symons, Edward Szekeres, Hassan Tayir and Manveena Suri contributed reporting.
Asharq Al-Awsat
28-03-2025
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Strong Earthquake Strikes Southeast Asia, Buildings Collapse in Myanmar
A strong earthquake rocked Southeast Asia on Friday, bringing down a skyscraper under construction in Bangkok and toppling buildings in neighboring Myanmar's second-largest city. At least one person was killed and dozens of workers rescued from under the rubble of the skyscraper, Thailand's National Institute of Emergency Medicine said. Witnesses in Bangkok said people ran out onto the streets in panic, many of them hotel guests in bathrobes and swimming costumes as water cascaded down from an elevated pool at a luxury hotel. 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). It was followed by a powerful aftershock. The epicenter was about 17.2 km from the city of Mandalay in Myanmar, which has a population of about 1.5 million. There was no immediate word from Myanmar authorities on damage. An officer from the Myanmar Fire Services Department told Reuters: "We have started the search and are going around Yangon to check for casualties and damage. So far, we have no information yet." Social media posts from Mandalay, Myanmar's ancient royal capital that is at the center of its Buddhist heartland, showed collapsed buildings and debris strewn across streets of the city. Reuters could not immediately verify the posts. One witness in the city told Reuters: "We all ran out of the house as everything started shaking. I witnessed a five-storey 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." Another witness in the city, Htet Naing Oo, told Reuters that a tea shop had collapsed with several people trapped inside. "We couldn't go in," she said. "The situation is very bad." A third witness said a mosque in the city was badly damaged. China's Xinhua news agency said strong tremors were felt in southwestern Yunnan province which borders Myanmar, but there were no reports of casualties. Witnesses contacted in Yangon said many people ran out from buildings in the city, the largest in the country. One office tower in downtown Bangkok swayed from side to side for at least two minutes, with doors and windows creaking loudly, witnesses said. Hundreds of employees filed out via emergency stairs as some shocked and panicked workers froze. Loud shrieks could be heard as the building continued to sway. Outside, hundreds gathered in the afternoon sun, while staff with medical kits found office chairs for elderly and people in shock.
CBC
28-03-2025
- General
- CBC
Strong earthquake strikes central Myanmar, shakes buildings in Thailand
Social Sharing A strong 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked Thailand and neighbouring Myanmar on Friday, bringing down a skyscraper under construction in Bangkok and toppling buildings in Mandalay. At least one person was killed in Bangkok and dozens of workers rescued from under the rubble of the skyscraper, Thailand's National Institute of Emergency Medicine said. Witnesses in the city said people ran out onto the streets in panic, many of them hotel guests in bathrobes and swimming costumes as water cascaded down from an elevated pool at a luxury hotel. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake was of 7.7 magnitude and at a depth of 10 kilometres. It was followed by a powerful aftershock. The epicentre was about 17.2 kilometres from the city of Mandalay, which has a population of about 1.5 million people. Myanmar's military-run government has declared a state of emergency in six regions. Two eyewitnesses from the town of Taungnoo in Myanmar's Bago region told Reuters that at least three people have died after a mosque partially collapsed. "We were saying prayers when the shaking started... Three died on the spot," said one of the people who spoke to Reuters. An officer from the Myanmar Fire Services Department told Reuters: "We have started the search and going around Yangon to check for casualties and damage. So far, we have no information yet." Social media posts from Mandalay, Myanmar's ancient royal capital that is at the centre of its Buddhist heartland, showed collapsed buildings and debris strewn across streets of the city. Reuters could not immediately verify the posts. One witness in the city told Reuters: "We all ran out of the house as everything started shaking. I witnessed a five-storey 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." Another witness in the city, Htet Naing Oo, told Reuters that a tea shop had collapsed with several people trapped inside. "We couldn't go in," she said. "The situation is very bad." A third witness said a mosque in the city was badly damaged. China's Xinhua news agency said strong tremors were felt in southwestern Yunnan province which borders Myanmar, but there were no reports of casualties. Witnesses contacted in Yangon said many people ran out from buildings in the city, the largest in the country. Meanwhile, witnesses in Bangkok said one downtown office tower swayed from side to side for at least two minutes, with doors and windows creaking loudly. Hundreds of employees filed out via emergency stairs as some shocked and panicked workers froze. Loud shrieks could be heard as the building continued to sway.
USA Today
28-03-2025
- General
- USA Today
Strong earthquake strikes Myanmar, buildings collapse in Mandalay, witnesses say
Reuters USA TODAY March 28 (Reuters) - A strong earthquake struck central Myanmar on Friday, and several buildings collapsed in Mandalay, the country's second-largest city, witnesses said. Buildings shook as well in Bangkok, the Thai capital about 1,000 km (620 miles) to the south, and hundreds of people rushed out in panic. Trading on the stock exchange was halted. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake was of 7.7 magnitude and at a depth of 10 km. It was followed by a powerful aftershock. The epicentre was about 17.2 km from the city of Mandalay, which has a population of about 1.5 million. There was no immediate word from Myanmar authorities on damage. An officer from the Myanmar Fire Services Department told Reuters: "We have started the search and going around Yangon to check for casualties and damage. So far, we have no information yet." Social media posts from Mandalay, Myanmar's ancient royal capital that is at the centre of its Buddhist heartland, showed collapsed buildings and debris strewn across streets of the city. Reuters could not immediately verify the posts. One witness in the city told Reuters: "We all ran out of the house as everything started shaking. I witnessed a five-storey 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." Another witness in the city, Htet Naing Oo, told Reuters that a tea shop had collapsed with several people trapped inside. "We couldn't go in," she said. "The situation is very bad." A third witness said a mosque in the city was badly damaged. China's Xinhua news agency said strong tremors were felt in southwestern Yunnan province which borders Myanmar, but there were no reports of casualties. Witnesses contacted in Yangon said many people ran out from buildings in the city, the largest in the country. Witnesses in Bangkok said people ran out onto the streets in panic, many of them hotel guests in bathrobes and swimming costumes. One office tower in downtown Bangkok swayed from side to side for at least two minutes, with doors and windows creaking loudly, witnesses said. Hundreds of employees filed out via emergency stairs as some shocked and panicked workers froze. Loud shrieks could be heard as the building continued to sway. Outside, hundreds gathered in the afternoon sun, while staff with medical kits found office chairs for elderly and people in shock. (Reporting by Devika Nair in Bengaluru, Shoon Naing, Devjyot Ghoshal, Martin Petty in Bangkok; Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Shri Navaratnam)
