The earthquake struck central Myanmar on Friday, 28 March, with tremors felt across the region. The epicentre was just under 17 km from Mandalay, a city of 1.2 million people. A strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock, just 12 minutes later, intensified the devastation, further damaging structures in Mandalay and Sagaing. This has complicated rescue efforts and raised fears of more casualties.