NEW VIDEO: Skyscraper under construction collapses as massive earthquake hits Bangkok. No word on casualties
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— BNO News (@bnonews.com) March 28, 2025 at 2:03 AM
A strong 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck in central Myanmar, formerly Burma, earlier today (overnight by clocks in the Americas). In Bangkok, hundreds of miles from the quake’s epicenter, an unfinished high-rise building collapsed with at least 81 construction workers inside (see the video above). Meanwhile, the epicenter was located 10 miles (16 km) northwest of the city of Sagaing in Myanmar, an important religious and monastic center, with numerous Buddhist monasteries. The BBC reports that:
Myanmar has been in political turmoil since a military junta seized power in a 2021 coup. Getting information on the ground is difficult.
But hundreds are feared dead in Myanmar with ‘enormous damage.’
Aftershocks are ongoing at this writing (11 UTC on March 28).
A BBC reporter in Bangkok witnessed the building collapse.
Read more – with updates – from the BBC.
Dust rises as a building collapses, with startled workers wearing hardhats in the foreground.
The Irish Mirror reported that, following the collapse of an unfinished building in Bangkok, people “struggled to stand up.” The collapse followed a huge 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar, which happened at 1:20 UTC this morning (8:20 p.m. CDT on March 27), according to USGS.
Bottom line: The strong 7.7-magnitude Myanmar earthquake led to the collapse of an unfinished high-rise building in Bangkok, with at least 70 construction workers inside, earlier today.
Deborah Byrd
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Our Editor-in-Chief Deborah Byrd works to keep all the astronomy balls in the air between EarthSky's website, YouTube page and social media platforms. She's the primary editor of our popular daily newsletter and a frequent host of EarthSky livestreams. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.