A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake shook a region of Asia, causing casualties, collapsing several buildings in Myanmar, and damaging a high-rise under construction in Bangkok, Thailand.
The earthquake occurred at approximately 12:50 PM local time on March 28th at a depth of nearly 10 km, with its epicenter 16 km from Sagaing City (Myanmar) and 17.2 km from Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. More than 10 minutes later, a strong aftershock measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale struck the same area, according to CNN.
By last night, Myanmar's military government announced that at least 144 people had died and more than 700 were injured following the earthquake. The death toll is expected to rise, according to AFP.
"Area of mass casualties"
The earthquake caused widespread damage, particularly in Myanmar, where buildings tilted, roads cracked, and the famous Ava Bridge collapsed near the epicenter. In the capital Naypyidaw, AFP journalists saw the entrance to the emergency department at the city's main hospital collapse onto a car. A hospital official chased the journalists out, saying, "This is a mass casualty area."
Cracks appeared on a road in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw after the earthquake on March 28.
Another official said hundreds of injured people had been taken to the aforementioned hospital. "I've never seen anything like this before. We're trying to handle the situation. I'm exhausted," AFP quoted a doctor as saying.
Following the earthquake, Reuters quoted a witness in Mandalay as saying: "We all ran out of our houses when everything started shaking. I saw a five-story building collapse right before my eyes. Everyone in my town was out in the streets and no one dared go back to that building."
Myanmar earthquake witness: 'A 5-story building collapsed right before my eyes'
A resident of Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, told CNN that many people felt the shaking for several minutes when the 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck. "The shaking was excessive and lasted for 3-4 minutes. The building where I live was unstable," the resident recounted.
By yesterday afternoon, March 28, Myanmar's state-run Radio and Television (MRTV) reported that "many civilians have died" due to the earthquake and "many injured" are in hospitals in central Sagaing and Mandalay, as well as in Naypyidaw. The Global New Light of Myanmar reported that the earthquake caused several buildings to collapse in five cities and towns, two bridges to fall, and damaged a highway.
The Myanmar government has declared a state of emergency in six areas, including Sagaing, Mandalay, and Naypyidaw, and has launched a rapid investigation into the damage, according to Global New Light of Myanmar . "We want the international community to provide humanitarian aid as soon as possible," AFP quoted Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Min Tun as saying.
The 30-story building collapsed.
Across the border, in Thailand, the earthquake in Myanmar sent people into the streets in panic in many cities. In the capital Bangkok, a 30-story building under construction collapsed, killing at least three workers and trapping 81 people in the rubble, according to AFP, citing Thai Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai. Phumtham said Thailand had ordered schools closed nationwide while officials assessed the damage after the earthquake, emphasizing that an event like this "has not happened in the last 100 years," according to CNN.
A high-rise building under construction collapsed in Bangkok following a strong earthquake in Myanmar.
Map of the earthquake in Myanmar on March 28.
Graphics: Compilation
In addition, Bangkok City Hall announced that the capital had been declared a disaster area following the earthquake. Bangkok Mayor Chadchart Sittipunt warned of the possibility of aftershocks, while urging people to remain calm and stating that the situation was largely under control. Throughout Bangkok and the tourist destination of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, stunned locals ran outside, unsure how to cope with the unusual earthquake.
The earthquake in Myanmar was also felt across the region. China, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and India all reported tremors, according to AFP. Xinhua reported that strong earthquakes occurred in China's Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar, with no reports of casualties.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, six earthquakes measuring 7 or higher on the Richter scale occurred between 1930 and 1956 near the Sagaing Fault, which runs from north to south through central Myanmar, according to AFP. In 2016, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in the ancient city of Bagan in central Myanmar killed three people and caused the collapse of many spires and walls of temples at the tourist site.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dong-dat-kinh-hoang-o-myanmar-anh-huong-khap-chau-a-185250328231701945.htm
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