Thai rescue workers arrive on scene at a construction building collapse in the Chatuchak area following the earthquake (Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)
BANGKOK (AP) – A powerful earthquake rocked parts of Southeast Asia on March 28 (local time), killing at least 144 people in Myanmar and leaving devastation in its wake.
What we know:
The 7.7 magnitude quake, with an epicenter near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, struck at midday and was followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock.
The U.S. Geological Survey and Germany’s GFZ center for geosciences said the earthquake was a shallow 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), according to preliminary reports. Shallower earthquakes tend to cause more damage.
Quake ravages country in midst of civil war
According to the head of Myanmar’s military government, 144 people are dead and more than 730 people are hurt as a result of the quake.
Dig deeper:
In Mandalay, the earthquake reportedly brought down multiple buildings, including one of the largest monasteries in the city, and damaged the former royal palace. A video posted online showed robed monks in the street shooting video of the multistory monastery before it suddenly fell into the ground.
Meanwhile, Christian Aid said its partners and colleagues on the ground reported that a dam burst in the city, causing water levels to rise in the lowland areas in the area.
Myanmar’s government said blood was in high demand in the hardest-hit areas. Images of buckled and cracked roads in Mandalay and damaged highways as well as the collapse of a bridge and dam raised further concerns about how rescuers would even reach some areas in a country already enduring a widespread humanitarian crisis.
The military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, and is now involved in a bloody civil war with long-established militias and newly formed pro-democracy ones.
Government forces have lost control of much of Myanmar, and many places are incredibly dangerous to access or simply out of reach for aid groups. More than 3 million people have been displaced by the fighting and nearly 20 million are in need, according to the United Nations.
Quake also felt in the Thai capital and other areas
In Bangkok, at least three people were killed in the building collapse and 90 were missing, according to Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai. He offered no more details about the ongoing rescue efforts, but first responders said that seven people had been rescued so far from the area.
At least two of the dead were construction workers who were killed by falling rubble or debris, rescue worker Songwut Wangpon told reporters.
Elsewhere, people in Bangkok evacuated from their buildings were cautioned to stay outside in case there were more aftershocks.
While the area where the quake struck is prone to earthquakes, they are usually not so big, and it is rare for them to felt in the Thai capital, which sits on a river delta and is at moderate risk for quakes.
The quake was also felt in the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in the People’s Republic of China. Media reports from the communist country state the quake caused damage to houses and injuries in a city along the China – Myanmar border.