Myanmar Earthquake: A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday, with multiple aftershocks ripping out roads, collapsing buildings and sending tremors as far as China, Thailand and India. At least 144 people were killed and more than 700 injured in the quake, according to the head of Myanmar’s junta, although the death toll is feared to be much higher.
Across the border in Thailand, ten people were confirmed dead, some of them when a high-rise building collapsed near Bangkok’s famous Chatuchak market, while more than 70 people were missing and believed to be trapped under twisted metal and rubble from a building under construction.
Myanmar earthquake | Key points
– The magnitude 7.7 Myanmar earthquake struck Mandalay at a depth of 10 kilometres at 12:50 pm local time (0620 GMT), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The quake was followed by a few more aftershocks, one of which had a magnitude of 6.4.
- The tremor was felt as far as northern Thailand and Bangkok, where people ran out into the streets as buildings shook. Scenes shared on social media showed a building collapsing in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok. Some metro and light rail services were suspended in Bangkok, Thailand, due to the quake.
- The Myanmar quake was also felt in Vietnam.
- The tremor was also felt in China’s southwestern Yunnan region, where Beijing’s Earthquake Control Organization declared the quake a magnitude of 7.9.
- Seismic tremors are common in Myanmar, where between 1930 and 1956, six strong aftershocks of magnitude 7.0 or greater were felt near Sagaing Blem, which runs north to south through the middle of the country, according to the USGS.
- After the 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar, mild tremors were also felt in Kolkata in West Bengal and Imphal in Manipur. According to official sources quoted by news organisation PTI, there is no report of any damage to property or life in the city due to the seismic tremor.
