A devastating earthquake struck Myanmar and neighboring Thailand on Friday, causing widespread destruction and significant loss of life. The powerful 7.7 magnitude quake originated near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, around midday and triggered a subsequent 6.4 magnitude aftershock, further exacerbating the extensive damage.
In Myanmar, at least 144 people have been confirmed dead, with over 730 others injured, according to a televised address by military leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. “The death toll and injuries are expected to rise,” Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said. In Thailand, at least eight people are dead and nine are injured, according to the Royal Thai Police.
Disturbing images from Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s capital, showed buildings used to house civil servants destroyed and emergency teams working diligently to pull survivors from the rubble. The government urgently requests blood donations for the numerous casualties in the hardest-hit areas.
Mandalay experienced severe infrastructure damage. These incidents raised substantial fears about the ability of rescue crews to access affected regions, obstructing relief efforts already strained by Myanmar’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Notably, the Ma Soe Yane monastery fell, vividly captured in videos as monks filmed moments before its total collapse. Significant damage to the former royal palace and surrounding infrastructure was also reported. Christian Aid workers on the ground reported a dam had burst, causing flooding in nearby lowland areas.
The earthquake caused catastrophic infrastructure damage in Myanmar’s Sagaing region, southwest of Mandalay, where a 90-year-old bridge collapsed, and portions of the vital highway linking Mandalay to Yangon were heavily damaged, severely complicating transportation and emergency response efforts.
Myanmar’s government declared a state of emergency in six affected regions and states, including Naypyidaw and Mandalay, though the country has been under a nationwide emergency since 2021. Aid organizations, including the Red Cross and Christian Aid, have cited severe obstacles such as downed power lines and destroyed infrastructure hindering rescue and relief operations.
Julie Mehigan from Christian Aid underscored the urgency of providing basic necessities, emphasizing that the earthquake compounds an already critical situation exacerbated by long-term displacement and ongoing conflict.
“This disaster will have left people devastated and in need of drinking water, food and shelter. Myanmar is one of the least developed countries in the world. Even before this heartbreaking earthquake, we know conflict and displacement have left countless people in real need.”
A military coup in February 2021 plunged the country into violent civil unrest involving government forces, established militias, and pro-democracy groups. Many areas remain inaccessible due to conflict, hindering aid and emergency responses. The United Nations estimates over three million people are internally displaced, with nearly 20 million urgently needing humanitarian assistance.
Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok, also suffered devastating impacts despite its distance from the earthquake’s epicenter. A 33-story construction project near Chatuchak market collapsed in a massive cloud of dust, killing at least eight people and injuring nine others. The Royal Thai Police reported that about 100 people also remain missing, though emergency responders successfully rescued seven individuals from the wreckage.
Eyewitness accounts from Bangkok highlighted confusion quickly followed by widespread fear. April Kanichawanakul, an office worker in Bangkok, described her disbelief at experiencing an earthquake for the first time, initially mistaking it for dizziness. She and her coworkers evacuated their building and waited outside until it was deemed safe.
Fraser Morton, a Scottish tourist visiting a shopping mall, described an initial moment of calm quickly giving way to widespread panic as the building trembled intensely, causing people to flee down escalators and stairways in confusion and fear.
“All of a sudden, the whole building began to move. Immediately, there was screaming and a lot of panic. I just started walking calmly at first but then the building started really moving, yeah, a lot of screaming, a lot of panic, people running the wrong way down the escalators.”
Voranoot Thirawat, a Bangkok lawyer, realized something was wrong when lights began swinging, and unsettling creaking noises filled her office. She and her colleagues rushed down twelve flights of stairs, shaken by the experience. “In my lifetime, there was no earthquake like this in Bangkok,” she said.
An English tourist, Paul Vincent, witnessed high-rise buildings swaying dramatically, with water cascading from rooftop pools. “There were people crying in the streets and, you know, the panic was horrendous really,” Vincent said.
Throughout Bangkok, the quake caused immediate and widespread panic as buildings swayed, prompting frantic evacuations into the streets already crowded with vehicles. Sirens echoed throughout the city as the elevated rapid transit and subway systems were forced to shut down. Residents and tourists poured into open spaces like Benjasiri Park, anxiously contacting loved ones and sheltering from the possibility of additional aftershocks.
The earthquake led to scenes of terror and chaos across Bangkok, prompting city hall to declare the metropolitan area, home to over 17 million people, a disaster zone.
The tremors extended northeast into China, with significant shaking felt in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. Reports from Chinese media indicated structural damage and injuries in the border city of Ruili, supported by videos showing streets littered with debris and emergency responders transporting injured victims. Mangshi, approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Ruili, experienced shaking so severe that residents struggled to remain standing.
Moumita Basuroychowdhury is a Contributing Reporter at The National Digest. After earning an economics degree at Cornell University, she moved to NYC to pursue her MFA in creative writing. She enjoys reporting on science, business and culture news. You can reach her at moumita.b@thenationaldigest.com.
