At least eight people are dead and 117 missing after a skyscraper in Bangkok, Thailand, collapsed following the quake in Myanmar
7.7 magnitude earthquake hits Myanmar, toppling buildings in Bangkok 1,300km away
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At least 153 people have died after a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar today, sending tremors as far as Bangkok and reducing buildings in the region to rubble.
Myanmar’s ruling military junta said at least 144 people were killed and 737 injured in the country following Friday’s catastrophic earthquake, which prompted both Thailand and Myanmar to declare a state of emergency. Ruling military general Min Aung Hlaing warned that more deaths and casualties should be expected.
In Bangkok, which has been declared a disaster area by city authorities, a high-rise building under construction collapsed in a huge plume of dust near the city’s Chatuchak Market. Dramatic footage circulating on social media showed scenes of panic as the structure crumbling into a cloud of dust and onlookers screamed and ran.
At least 117 people are missing in the building, rescuers said. Nine people are confirmed dead in Bangkok including eight at the building site, the city’s deputy governor Tavida Kamolvej said.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake had a depth of 10km (6.2 miles) and was centred about 17km from Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city. A strong 6.4-magnitude aftershock followed the initial tremor.
Key Points
At least 144 dead and 737 injured in Myanmar, says state-run TV
Eight dead and 117 missing following collapse of Bangkok high-rise
Mapped: Where did the Myanmar earthquake strike
Myanmar: Blood high in demand as military junta declares state of emergency
Thai PM declares state of emergency
Strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocks Thailand and Myanmar
Moment building collapses as Myanmar earthquake tremors hit Bangkok
Moment building collapses as Myanmar earthquake tremors hit Bangkok
Moment building collapses as Myanmar earthquake tremors hit Bangkok Fair Use
Moment building collapses as Myanmar earthquake tremors hit Bangkok
Andy Gregory28 March 2025 19:49
Five cities and towns have seen buildings collapse, Myanmar state media reports
According to Myanmar's English-language state newspaper, Global New Light of Myanmar, five cities and towns have seen buildings collapse and two bridges have fallen, including one on a key highway between Mandalay.
Volunteers look for survivors near a damaged building in Naypyitaw
Volunteers look for survivors near a damaged building in Naypyitaw (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)
Andy Gregory28 March 2025 19:20
Dam reported to have burst in Mandalay
The Associated Press has cited Christian Aid as saying that its partners and colleagues on the ground reported that a dam burst in Mandalay, causing water levels to rise in the lowland areas.
Andy Gregory28 March 2025 18:54
UN allocates $5m from emergency relief fund
The UN’s emergency relief coordinator has made an initial allocation of $5m for recovery efforts in southeast Asia as the international body works to recover from massive US funding cuts to the region.
International and local UN staff are working to gather information on the number of people impacted, damage to infrastructure and the scope of the humanitarian needs, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
“The earthquake will compound an already dire humanitarian situation in Myanmar, where nearly 20 million people need assistance across the country, including more than 3.5 million people displaced from their homes,” Mr Dujarric was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
Andy Gregory28 March 2025 18:36
Mapped: The regions hit worst by 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand
In the below report, my colleague Alisha Rahaman Sarkar maps out the areas affected by the earthquake:
Mapped: The regions hit worst by 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand
Earthquake strikes near Myanmar’s second-largest city
Andy Gregory28 March 2025 18:18
Thirty bodies recovered from collapsed apartment blocks in ancient Mandalay township, rescue worker says
A rescue worker from Amarapura, an ancient city and now a township of Mandalay, has told Reuters that the bodies of 30 people had been recovered from collapsed multi-story apartment blocks.
“I have never experienced anything like this before – our town looks like a collapsed city," he told the news agency, estimating that about a fifth of the buildings had been destroyed.
“We received calls for help from people from the inside, but we cannot help because we do not have enough manpower and machines to remove the debris, but we will not stop working.”
Andy Gregory28 March 2025 18:01
Video report: 7.7 magnitude earthquake hits Myanmar, toppling buildings in Bangkok 1,300km away
7.7 magnitude earthquake hits Myanmar, toppling buildings in Bangkok 1,300km away
7.7 magnitude earthquake hits Myanmar, toppling buildings in Bangkok 1,300km away
7.7 magnitude earthquake hits Myanmar, toppling buildings in Bangkok 1,300km away
Andy Gregory28 March 2025 17:45
Millions already internally displaced in Myanmar prior to quake
Before the quake struck, the United Nations estimated that hundreds of thousands of civilians had been displaced by internal fighting, and there are now more than 3 million internally displaced people in Myanmar overall, with some 18.6 million people in need of humanitarian aid.
However, access issues and recent cuts to foreign assistance have devastated the already war-torn country. A 90-day freeze on foreign assistance programs announced earlier this year by US president Donald Trump has led to other cuts in services for refugees from Myanmar, including the shutdown of hospital care in camps in neighbouring Thailand where more than 100,000 are living, according to activists and Thai officials.
AP28 March 2025 17:29
US experts estimate that fatalities in Myanmar could exceed 10,000
The US Geological Survey’s (USGS) earthquake hazards programme has suggested that fatalities could be between 10,000 and 100,000 people, and the economic impact could be as high as 70 per cent of Myanmar's GDP.
According to Dr Roger Musson, an honorary research fellow at the British Geological Survey, such forecasts are based on data from past earthquakes and on Myanmar's size, location and overall quake readiness.
Speaking to Reuters, Dr Musson said that the shallow depth of the quake – at just 6.2 miles, according to the USGS – meant the damage would be more severe: “This is very damaging because it has occurred at a shallow depth, so the shockwaves are not dissipated as they go from the focus of the earthquake up to the surface. The buildings received the full force of the shaking.”
He added: “It's important not to be focused on epicentres because the seismic waves don't radiate out from the epicentre – they radiate out from the whole line of the fault.”
Noting that the last major quake to hit the region was in 1956, Dr Musson said that homes in central Myanmar are unlikely to have been built to withstand seismic forces as powerful as those that hit on Friday.
Andy Gregory28 March 2025 17:14
Rescue workers continue search for survivors into the night in Bangkok
As darkness fell in Bangkok, rescue workers continued to search for survivors in the rubble of a collapsed building, where scores of people were still feared missing.
(Sirachai Arunrugstichai/Getty Images)
(Sirachai Arunrugstichai/Getty Images)
Andy Gregory28 March 2025 17:14
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