Latest news with #USGeologicalService
Arab Times
3 days ago
- Climate
- Arab Times
6.3 magnitude earthquake hits central Colombia
BOGOTA, June 9, (AP): A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck central Colombia early Sunday, authorities said. No casualties were immediately reported. The quake hit 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) northeast of Paratebueno, a city about 116 miles southeast of the capital, Bogota. The US Geological Service reported the quake hit at 8:08 a.m. (1308 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). The Colombian Geological Service reported additional tremors with magnitudes ranging from 4 to 4.6 occurred in the same area minutes later. The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management said on X that it was assessing the situation in several municipalities. Images posted on social media showed people in Bogota who felt the tremor - some left their workplaces to seek safety. Footage from rural areas indicated there was no damage. Colombia lies in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region known for frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
Al Bawaba
31-03-2025
- General
- Al Bawaba
Woman rescued after days under rubble following Myanmar quake
Published March 31st, 2025 - 08:12 GMT ALBAWABA - Rescue works continue in Myanmar following the devastating earthquake that struck the country on Friday. Recently a woman was pulled alive from under the rubble. Also Read Myanmar earthquake's death toll jumps to over 1,600 The Guardian revealed citing local officials that a female, who was trapped under the remains of a hotel building for nearly 60 hours was rescued on Monday, in a rare moment of hope for rescue teams exhausted to search for earthquake survivors. Rescuers have been searching for days for survivors after the shocking massive Friday earthquake, which killed over 1,700 people in Myanmar and at least 18 in Thailand, which was also affected. On the other hand, the US Geological Service's predictive modelling suggested that the death toll following the Myanmar 7.7-magnitude earthquake could hit 10,000. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Al Jazeera
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Myanmar; tremors felt in Thailand: All we know
Two powerful earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 6.4 hit central Myanmar on Friday, causing death and large-scale destruction in both Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand. Tremors were also felt elsewhere in the region. On Saturday, Myanmar state media reported that at least 1,644 people had been confirmed dead while 2,376 have been injured. About 30 people are still missing. The US Geological Service's predictive modelling has estimated Myanmar's death toll could rise above 10,000. Authorities in Myanmar have imposed a state of emergency in six states. On Friday, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the UN was mounting a response following a request from the Myanmar authorities. 'Our team in Myanmar is already in contact in order to fully mobilise our resources in the region to support the people of Myanmar,' Guterres said. 'But of course, there are other countries impacted. The epicentre is in Myanmar, and Myanmar is the weakest country in this present situation,' he added. By Saturday morning, other nations were rallying support. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) released a joint statement from members' foreign ministers, saying: 'ASEAN affirms its solidarity and will work closely to coordinate humanitarian assistance, support and facilitate relief operations, and ensure timely and effective humanitarian response.' The Chinese embassy in Myanmar said China would provide 100 million yuan ($13.77m) in aid, including tents, blankets, emergency medical kits, food and water. The first round of aid will arrive on March 31. South Korea pledged $2m in humanitarian aid, its foreign ministry said. China, Russia and India are also among those sending rescue teams. Here is everything we know about the disaster so far: At about 12:50pm (06:20 GMT) on Friday, an earthquake of magnitude 7.7 hit 16km (10 miles) northwest of Sagaing city at a depth of 10km (6 miles). This was followed by an aftershock of magnitude 6.4. The earthquake's epicentre was about 17km (11 miles) west of the country's second-largest city, Mandalay, which has a population of nearly 1.5 million people. Al Jazeera's Tony Cheng was outside Myanmar's Defence Services Museum in the capital, Naypyidaw, when the earthquake hit. 'Suddenly, the building started moving very heavily from side to side,' Cheng said. 'Plaster was raining down.' Cheng added that concrete from the roof and support columns of the portico also fell during the quake. 'The swaying went on for about 30 seconds to a minute,' he said. 'It gained in intensity as it went on. I've been in earthquakes in this region before, and I've never felt anything as strong as that.' The tremors were felt across Southeast and South Asia. Ten people have died in Bangkok as a result of the earthquake, Bangkok's Deputy Governor Tavida Kamolvej told Reuters on Friday evening. Eight of the victims were killed when a 30-storey building that was under construction collapsed, also trapping 47 workers, according to the police and medics. Rescue workers said a further 117 people were missing. The Stock Exchange of Thailand suspended activity on Friday afternoon. Bangkok's entire public transport system also was shut down for safety reasons, reported Al Jazeera's Imran Khan, who was in the city when the quake struck. 'Traffic is absolutely gridlocked. The buildings have been shuttered in the centre of the city,' Khan said. China's Xinhua news agency reported that shocks were felt in the southwestern province of Yunnan, which lies at the border with Myanmar. No casualties were reported. Chinese media also reported that, in the northeast of the country, tremors were felt in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in China, causing injuries and damage to houses in the city of Ruili on the border with Myanmar. In Mangshi, a city about 100km (60 miles) northeast of Ruili, the shaking was so strong that people were unable to stand, one resident told The Paper, an online media outlet. Tremors were also reported in Cambodia, India and Bangladesh. Myanmar state media has reported that at least 1,644 people have been confirmed dead while 2,376 have been injured. About 30 people are still missing. Reports of deaths and injuries have been coming in from around the country. More than 50 mosques sustained damage during Friday prayers, according to the shadow National Unity Government, and hundreds of Muslims are feared to be among the dead. Quoting a Red Cross official, AFP reported on Saturday that more than 90 people could be trapped inside the crushed remains of an apartment block in Mandalay in central Myanmar. Two people were killed in the town of Taungoo in Myanmar when a mosque partially collapsed, the Reuters news agency reported, quoting witnesses. Local media also reported that a hotel collapsed in Myanmar's southern city of Aungban, killing at least two people and injuring 20. A doctor at a 1,000-bed general hospital in Naypyidaw told the AFP news agency that 20 people had died there. 'About 20 people died after they arrived at our hospital so far. Many people were injured,' the doctor said on the condition of anonymity. A rescue worker from the Moe Saydanar charity group told Reuters that 60 bodies had been retrieved from monasteries and buildings in Pyinmanar, near Naypyidaw, and more people were trapped. 'This 60 is only from my charity group and only at Pyinmanar town,' he said. Infrastructure has taken a heavy hit in Myanmar and Thailand. Buildings, bridges and roads have been destroyed, according to local media. State media in Myanmar said buildings and structures, including more than 50 mosques which were hit during Friday prayers during the holy month of Ramadan, were damaged or had collapsed in multiple cities and towns. Pieces of the ceiling at the National Museum of Naypyidaw fell as the tremors shook the structure, AFP reported. State media reported that a railway bridge and a road bridge on the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway collapsed. Local media also reported that the Ma Soe Yane monastery had collapsed and the former royal palace had been damaged. The 90-year-old Ava Bridge, also called Old Sagaing Bridge, partially fell into the Irrawaddy River, which flows between Mandalay and Sagaing. In Thailand, operations at six airports, including Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai, Chiang Rai and Phuket resumed on Saturday following safety checks. Among the places where Myanmar's military government has imposed a state of emergency are Mandalay and Naypyidaw. On Saturday, Myanmar's junta chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, visited Mandalay near the epicentre of the quake. 'The Chairman of the State Administration Council instructed authorities to expedite search and rescue efforts and address any urgent needs,' the junta said in a statement on state media, referring to Min Aung Hlaing. A major hospital in the capital, Naypyidaw, has been declared a 'mass casualty area', an official at the facility told the AFP news agency. Rows of wounded were treated outside the emergency department of the 1,000-bed general hospital, some writhing in pain, others lying still as relatives sought to comfort them. Zin Mar Aung, the country's shadow foreign minister with the parallel National Unity Government, said troops from the anti-junta groups, known as the People's Defence Forces, would provide humanitarian assistance. 'It's very serious, we need humanitarian and technical assistance from the international community,' Zin Mar Aung told Reuters. 'The state will make inquiries on the situation quickly and conduct rescue operations along with providing humanitarian aid,' the government said in a message on the Telegram messaging application. Rescue efforts are under way. However, the Red Cross said damaged power lines in Myanmar are impeding rescue teams from reaching Mandalay and Sagaing. The Red Cross said initial reports suggested the quake has caused 'significant damage' and 'information on humanitarian needs is still being gathered.' Bangkok Governor Sittipunt has warned of possible aftershocks but has asked people to remain calm, saying the situation is under control. Myanmar lies along the Sagaing Fault, a tectonic boundary between the Indian Plate and the Burma microplate, making it seismically active. The country is also one of Asia's poorest and least prepared for large-scale disasters. The country has urbanised rapidly, but the construction of buildings in cities has not accounted for seismic risks. The buildings in cities including the largest, Yangon, were not designed to be earthquake resistant, making them more vulnerable to damage from tremors, according to the United Nations Development Programme. After a 2021 military coup, in which the military seized power, Myanmar became embroiled in a civil war and has been isolated internationally, making rescue efforts difficult. However, leaders from India, France and the European Union have offered support.
Sky News
30-03-2025
- Health
- Sky News
Myanmar earthquake: Number of dead could exceed 10,000, experts say
The number of people killed in Myanmar following Friday's powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake could top 10,000, experts say. The current death toll stands at 1,700 with 3,400 others injured and 300 missing, according to pro-junta Telegram channels, citing the military rulers. But the US Geological Service's predictive modelling estimates that figure will increase in the thousands and could reach 10,000. It also says financial losses could exceed the country's annual economic output. Myanma r 's earthquake was one of the country's strongest in a century, its military government said. While emergency rescue teams have started trickling into the area hardest hit by the quake, efforts have been hindered by damaged roads, downed bridges, poor communications and the challenges of operating in a country in the middle of a civil war. Many areas still have not been reached. It struck at around 12.50pm local time (6.20am UK time) near Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, at a shallow depth of six miles. Most rescues occur within the first 24 hours after a disaster, with the chances of survival diminishing as each day passes. 0:38 Neighbouring Thailand was also shaken, including in the capital Bangkok where 17 people were killed, including several who died when an under-construction skyscraper collapsed. At least 78 people remained trapped under the debris. Twelve Chinese nationals are among the injured, according to Chinese state media. An initial report on earthquake relief efforts issued on Saturday by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted the severe damage or destruction of many health facilities in Myanmar. And it warned that a "severe shortage of medical supplies is hampering response efforts, including trauma kits, blood bags, anaesthetics, assistive devices, essential medicines, and tents for health workers". 0:18 India, China and Thailand are among the neighbours that have sent relief materials and teams, along with aid and personnel. The UK government has announced a package of £10m to support the people of Myanmar in the aftermath of the quake. Rescue efforts in Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, are being complicated by the bloody civil war disrupting much of the country, including in quake-affected areas. In 2001, the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, which in turn sparked armed resistance. Government forces have lost control of much of Myanmar, and many places are dangerous or impossible for aid groups to reach. More than three million people have been displaced by the fighting and nearly 20 million are in need, according to the United Nations. The government military has been fighting long-established militias and newly formed pro-democracy People's Defence Forces, and has heavily restricted much-needed aid efforts to the population already displaced by war even before the earthquake. On Saturday, Myanmar's opposition shadow National Unity Government, to which the PDF militias are loyal, announced a unilateral partial ceasefire to facilitate earthquake relief efforts. The military did not immediately comment on the announcement and it continued airstrikes even after the earthquake. The Three Brotherhood Alliance, a group of three of Myanmar's most powerful and well-armed militias that launched a combined offensive in October 2023 that broke a strategic stalemate with the military regime, didn't mention a ceasefire in a statement on Saturday, but said it was ready to help.
Asharq Al-Awsat
30-03-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Aid Rushes Into Myanmar after Quake Kills Over 1,600
Myanmar's neighbors sent warships and aircraft laden with relief materials and rescue personnel on Sunday, as international aid gained steam after a massive earthquake ravaged much of the poor Southeast Asian nation. At least 1,600 people have been killed and 3,400 injured by Friday's 7.7-magnitude quake, one of Myanmar's strongest in a century, its military government said. "All military and civilian hospitals, as well as healthcare workers, must work together in a coordinated and efficient manner to ensure effective medical response," said the junta chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, according to state-run media. The US Geological Service's predictive modelling estimated Myanmar's death toll could top 10,000 and losses could exceed the country's annual economic output, Reuters reported. The quake jolted parts of neighboring Thailand, bringing down an under-construction skyscraper and killing 17 people across the capital, according to Thai authorities. At least 78 people remained trapped under the debris of the collapsed building. The deadliest natural disaster to hit Myanmar in years damaged critical infrastructure, including an airport, highways and bridges, slowing humanitarian operations, according to the United Nations. The quake hit a nation already in chaos with a civil war that has escalated since the 2021 military coup, which ousted the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and sparked a nationwide armed uprising. The fighting has battered the largely agrarian economy of Myanmar, formerly called Burma, displaced over 3.5 million people and left essential services, such as healthcare, in tatters. The opposition National Unity Government, which includes remnants of the previous administration, said anti-junta militias under its command would pause all offensive military actions for two weeks from Sunday. "The NUG, together with resistance forces, allied organizations and civil society groups, will carry out rescue operations," it said in a statement. In some of the country's hardest hit areas, residents told Reuters that government assistance was scarce so far, leaving people to fend for themselves. The entire town of Sagaing near the quake's epicenter was devastated, said resident Han Zin. "What we are seeing here is widespread destruction - many buildings have collapsed into the ground," he said by phone, adding that much of the town had been without electricity since the disaster hit and drinking water was running out. "We have received no aid, and there are no rescue workers in sight." Across the Irrawaddy river in Mandalay, a rescue worker said most operations in the country's second-largest city were being conducted by small, self-organized resident groups that lack the required equipment. "We have been approaching collapsed buildings, but some structures remain unstable while we work,' he said, asking not to be named because of security concerns. Scores of people were feared trapped under collapsed buildings across Mandalay but most could not be reached or pulled out without heavy machinery, another humanitarian worker and two residents said. "People are still stuck in the buildings, they can't take people out," said a resident who asked not to be named. Hospitals in parts of central and northwestern Myanmar, including Mandalay and Sagaing, were struggling to cope with the influx of injured people, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. India, China and Thailand are among the neighbors that have sent relief materials and teams, along with aid and personnel from Malaysia, Singapore and Russia. Indian military aircraft made multiple sorties into Myanmar on Saturday, including ferrying supplies and search-and-rescue crews to Naypyitaw, the purpose-made capital, parts of which have been wrecked by the earthquake. The Indian army will help set up a field hospital in Mandalay, and two navy ships carrying supplies are heading to Myanmar's commercial capital of Yangon, said Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Multiple teams of Chinese rescue personnel have arrived, including one that crossed in overland from its southwestern province of Yunnan, China's embassy in Myanmar said on social media. A 78-member team from Singapore, accompanied by rescue dogs, was operating in Mandalay on Sunday, Myanmar state-media said.
