Friday, a 7.7 magnification earthquake struck the center of Myanmar, sending waves of shock through Southeast Asia and leaving a trace of death and destruction.
Myanmar military junta said 144 people died and that 732 had been injured. The number of deaths is expected to increase, many injured arriving in hospitals in the country’s second city, Mandalay.
The earthquake collapsed a skyscraper under construction in Bangkok, killing at least seven people and leaving dozens missing. He also trembled buildings in China and shaken bridges and houses as far as Vietnam.
Myanmar is plagued by a civil war which left nearly 20 million people without food and appropriate shelter. The censorship imposed by his military government has limited the distribution of information from the heart of the disaster, even if the extent of damage to Thailand and other countries is slowly becoming clear.
Where was the epicenter?
The earthquake struck near Mandalay, in the center of Myanmar, at around 12:50 p.m. local time, according to US Geological Survey. About 12 minutes later, a replica with a magnitude of 6.4 hit the same area.
A 7.7 -scale earthquake is considered to be major. The magnitude of the replica is classified as strong and likely to cause damage, especially in densely populated areas, According to the agency.
The center of Myanmar, where large plates of the earth’s crust are in motion, is subject to powerful earthquakes. The country is at the eastern end of the alpid belt, the most active seismic activity areas in a world. Three earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 or more struck in Myanmar or near the Myanmar in the last century, according to a USGS database, the most recent in 1988.
Friday, the earthquake struck a relatively shallow depth of six miles, which means that it was likely to cause more violent tremors. This shock was felt as far as the capital of Thailand, Bangkok, more than 800 miles from the epicenter.
What countries have been affected?
Despite the limited information from the Myanmar authorities, the earthquake was almost certainly the most destructive there. The city of Mandalay, the largest major city near the epicenter, has a estimated population of 1.5 million people.
Neighboring Thailand also felt the power of the earthquake, in particular in Bangkok, where About 11 million people Live in the metropolitan region. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said the city said an “emergency zone”, asking residents to evacuate large buildings to avoid aftershocks.
In China, the information media in the province of Yunnan, neighbor of Myanmar, reported damage to the buildings of the animated border city of Ruili.
The tremor was also felt in Bangladesh, in western Myanmar, but there was no immediate report of damage.
What is the number of deaths and what damage has been caused?
The toll should increase while the rescuers dig through the rubble and the wounded go to hospitals. The military government of Myanmar said that 144 people had been killed and 732 injured, but the total extent of the toll was difficult to assess in a country that was largely isolated from the rest of the world.
In Mandalay, the video showed that the AVA bridge, originally built by the British in the 1930s, had collapsed in part, according to images verified by the New York Times. But the strong censorship imposed by the Military Government of Myanmar made the full extent of the damage difficult.
In Thailand, at least seven people died and dozens were missing when a skyscraper that had been under construction collapsed in Bangkok. At least 20 people were trapped in an elevator tree, said an official, and he was not clear if they were still alive. The city’s raised train service has been closed and people fled the large buildings after the city was placed in an emergency.
Chinese State media reported That an unspecified number of people has been injured, with damaged houses and buildings in the city of Ruili.
What help is available?
In Myanmar, the worst regions are at the center of the country, which are controlled by the military junta. When disasters struck the past, such as the Mocha cyclone in 2023 and the Nargis cyclone in 2008, the military government avoided requesting international aid and aid for traction in areas not under its control.
After the powerful earthquake on Friday, the junta made a rare call for help. The plea said that the authorities were preparing for a high number of deaths.
“We will cooperate with them to ensure the best care for the victims,” said General Zaw Min Tun, Military spokesperson for Myanmar after the government said the state of emergency in six regions.
The areas of the country controlled by rebel forces are more distant from the epicenter of the earthquake. These areas seem to be relatively unscathed, but information in these often isolated areas can be slow to emerge.
The World Health Organization said it was planning to send trauma supplies to support Myanmar. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said that the country’s teams evaluated the situation.
The reports were brought by Sui-the weekend,, John Yoon,, Keith Bradsher,, John Keefe,, Richard C. Paddock,, Muktita Suhartono,, Adam Satario And Paul Mozur.
