7.7-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Myanmar, Strong Tremors In Bangkok, 43 Trapped

Arun Jain,


New Delhi:

A massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake, and an aftershock of 6.8 magnitude, struck central Myanmar at 12.50pm (local time) Friday. The epicentre was 16km northwest of the city of Sagaing, and at a depth of 10km, the United States Geological Survey said. There are no reports of casualties so far.

No tsunami warning has been issued.

Tremors were felt as far away as northern Thailand, where some metro and rail services were suspended in capital Bangkok and in China’s Yunnan province, according to Beijing’s quake agency.

Mild tremors were also reported from Kolkata in Bengal and parts of Manipur, news agency PTI said.

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is holding an “urgent meeting” to review the crisis and has declared a state of ’emergency’ in Bangkok. And the China Earthquake Networks Center said the jolt in Yunan measured a powerful magnitude 7.9.

Terrifying videos on X showed buildings shaking in Bangkok and other cities, with people running onto the streets in panic. “I heard it… I was sleeping in the house and then I ran as far as I could in my pyjamas out of the building,” Duangjai, a resident of popular tourist city Chiang Mai, told AFP.

One particularly horrifying video showed water from an infinity pool falling over the edge.

Another showed the water in a small pool in a private residence splashing violently, creating what looked like mini-tsunamis.

And another showed an under-construction skyscraper in Bangkok’s Chatuchak neighbourhood collapsing. According to reports, at least 40 workers have been reported missing.

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In Myanmar, an old bridge over the Irrawaddy River andsome residential buildings having collapsed, with images from Mandalay (around 24km from Sagaing) suggesting more people may be trapped.

Other videos showed extensive damage to the airport in Mandalay and to a monastery near the city of Taunggyi, in Myanmar’s Shan State that is on the border to Thailand.

Earthquakes are relatively common in Myanmar, where six strong quakes of 7.0 magnitude or more struck between 1930 and 1956 near the Sagaing Fault, which runs north to south through the country.

A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake, in the ancient capital Bagan in central Myanmar, killed three people in 2016, also toppling spires and crumbling temple walls at the tourist destination.

The impoverished nation has a strained medical system, especially in its rural states.

With input from agencies

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