Myanmar Death Toll Passes 1,000 After Strong Earthquake, With Over 2,000 Injured

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A collapsed building after a strong earthquake struck central Myanmar on March 28.    (Reuters: Ann Wang)

In short:

The death toll in Myanmar from a magnitude-7.7 earthquake has passed 1,000, with 2,376 people injured and 30 missing.

The military junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing, has ordered a prompt rescue effort in affected regions.

Buildings in Bangkok, which is 1,000 kilometres from the epicentre, have been severely damaged.

 

The death toll in Myanmar from a strong earthquake has passed 1,000, with 2,376 people injured and 30 missing, according to the state-run MRTV.

It said that the isolated military junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing, had ordered a prompt rescue effort in affected regions.

Friday's magnitude-7.7 quake shook the region, with neighbouring Thailand continuing rescue efforts after a 30-storey construction site collapsed, killing at least three people and trapping dozens of others under the rubble.

Mr Hlaing said the main earthquake was followed by three aftershocks, according to the state-owned New Light of Myanmar.

"The number of casualties is expected to rise further," he said in an address to the nation, "In some areas, buildings have collapsed, and we are still carrying out rescue operations in those locations.

"I have declared a state of emergency in all affected areas and have opened all possible channels to receive international assistance.

"Infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and buildings were affected, leading to casualties and injuries among civilians. Search and rescue operations are currently being carried out in the affected areas."

Rescue personnel work at the site of the collapsed building in Bangkok. (Reuters: Chalinee Thirasupa)

The United States Geological Service's (USGS) predictive modelling estimated the death toll could exceed 10,000 people in Myanmar and that losses could be greater than the value of the country's gross domestic product.

Susan Hough, a scientist in the USGS's Earthquake Hazards Program, told Reuters it was difficult to predict an earthquake's death toll for various reasons, including timing.

When an earthquake strikes during the daytime, as it did in Myanmar, "people are awake, they have their wits about them, they are better able to respond," she said.

Biggest quake in Myanmar in over a century, impacting Bangkok

It was the biggest quake to hit Myanmar in over a century, according to US geologists, and the tremors were powerful enough to severely damage buildings across Bangkok, which is 1,000 kilometres from the epicentre.

A rescue mission was stepped up on Saturday to find construction workers trapped under the rubble of a collapsed 33-storey tower in the Thai capital.

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said around 10 people had been confirmed killed across the city, most in the skyscraper collapse, and up to 100 workers were still missing at the building.

 

Thai building collapses following tremors from Myanmar earthquake

A 37-strong team from China landed in Yangon, Myanmar's former capital, early on Saturday local time, carrying medicine and equipment to detect signs of life with them, the Chinese embassy said in a Facebook post.

Russia said it was sending 120 experienced rescuers, doctors and search dogs, according to state news agency TASS.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he had spoken with officials in Myanmar and that his administration would provide some assistance.

Dr Hough, who worked in Myanmar on the local seismology network, said the country's mix of modern structures and traditional buildings would also play a role. Traditional buildings "are going to be less potentially deadly than concrete," she said.

Thai authorities said nine people had died and 101 were missing in Bangkok, mostly labourers trapped in the rubble of the collapsed tower.

"We will do everything, we will not give up on saving lives, we will use all resources," Mr Sittipunt said at the site, as excavators moved debris and drones scoured the rubble searching for survivors.

The Thai capital ground to a halt on Friday and Mr Sittipunt said hundreds of people had spent the night in city parks, but he said the situation was improving.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-29/myanmar-death-toll-rises-after-earthquake/105112556

[think_too_mut]

27 minutes ago, bust said:

 

A collapsed building after a strong earthquake struck central Myanmar on March 28.    (Reuters: Ann Wang)

In short:

The death toll in Myanmar from a magnitude-7.7 earthquake has passed 1,000, with 2,376 people injured and 30 missing.

The military junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing, has ordered a prompt rescue effort in affected regions.

Buildings in Bangkok, which is 1,000 kilometres from the epicentre, have been severely damaged.

 

The death toll in Myanmar from a strong earthquake has passed 1,000, with 2,376 people injured and 30 missing, according to the state-run MRTV.

It said that the isolated military junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing, had ordered a prompt rescue effort in affected regions.

Friday's magnitude-7.7 quake shook the region, with neighbouring Thailand continuing rescue efforts after a 30-storey construction site collapsed, killing at least three people and trapping dozens of others under the rubble.

Mr Hlaing said the main earthquake was followed by three aftershocks, according to the state-owned New Light of Myanmar.

"The number of casualties is expected to rise further," he said in an address to the nation, "In some areas, buildings have collapsed, and we are still carrying out rescue operations in those locations.

"I have declared a state of emergency in all affected areas and have opened all possible channels to receive international assistance.

"Infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and buildings were affected, leading to casualties and injuries among civilians. Search and rescue operations are currently being carried out in the affected areas."

Rescue personnel work at the site of the collapsed building in Bangkok. (Reuters: Chalinee Thirasupa)

The United States Geological Service's (USGS) predictive modelling estimated the death toll could exceed 10,000 people in Myanmar and that losses could be greater than the value of the country's gross domestic product.

Susan Hough, a scientist in the USGS's Earthquake Hazards Program, told Reuters it was difficult to predict an earthquake's death toll for various reasons, including timing.

When an earthquake strikes during the daytime, as it did in Myanmar, "people are awake, they have their wits about them, they are better able to respond," she said.

Biggest quake in Myanmar in over a century, impacting Bangkok

It was the biggest quake to hit Myanmar in over a century, according to US geologists, and the tremors were powerful enough to severely damage buildings across Bangkok, which is 1,000 kilometres from the epicentre.

A rescue mission was stepped up on Saturday to find construction workers trapped under the rubble of a collapsed 33-storey tower in the Thai capital.

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said around 10 people had been confirmed killed across the city, most in the skyscraper collapse, and up to 100 workers were still missing at the building.

 

 

The Thai capital ground to a halt on Friday and Mr Sittipunt said hundreds of people had spent the night in city parks, but he said the situation was improving.

100s of people? Bangkok has 16 million people.

 

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Seems Burma copped the worst of it yet most of the first information came out of Thailand. I assume this is because of all the restrictions in place by the Junta. As the ground stopped shaking the Burmese Military carried out air strikes in neighboring Shan State.

Giving there is an existing humanitarian crisis taking place throughout Burma, aid will be difficult to reach survivors.

[Mekong]

21 hours ago, think_too_mut said:

100s of people? Bangkok has 16 million people

Of which only a few were evacuated from unsafe buildings, you think we all camped out? 

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Junta continues dropping bombs after Myanmar earthquake as opposition puts down arms

 

Rescue teams are searching through rubble in Myanmar for earthquake survivors.

In short:

As the death toll from the Friday's earthquake rises sharply in the space of a few hours, Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government has announced a unilateral partial ceasefire to facilitate relief efforts.

Independent Myanmar media have reported that the military continued air attacks on resistance-held areas even in the wake of the earthquake.

What's next?

Rescue efforts continue, especially in the major stricken cities of Mandalay, the country's number two city, and Naypyitaw, the capital.

Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government (NUG), which coordinates the popular struggle against the ruling military, has announced a unilateral partial ceasefire to facilitate earthquake relief efforts.

The announcement comes despite reports the ruling junta has continued air strikes in the wake of Friday's natural disaster that has left more than 1,600 dead, with the death toll expected to continue rising.

US geologists have said the 7.7 magnitude temblor was the biggest to hit Myanmar in over a century.

The NUG said its armed wing, the People's Defense Force, would implement a two-week pause in offensive military operations starting on Sunday in earthquake-affected areas.

It said it would "collaborate with the UN and non-governmental organisations to ensure security, transportation, and the establishment of temporary rescue and medical camps", in the areas it controls.

The statement called on the country's ethnic groups, which operate their own armies, to cooperate.

There was no immediate comment by the military on the announcement.

Rescue workers search for survivors in Naypyitaw. (AP: Aung Shine Oo)

Military continuing attacks: reports

The UN special rapporteur on Myanmar, Tom Andrews, condemned the military government's continued attacks on resistance-held areas.

Mr Andrews said at least three air strikes were carried out on the Sagain region — near the epicentre of the earthquake, and a rebel stronghold.

He said the strikes were exacerbating the crisis caused by the quake.

"This is completely outrageous and unacceptable," he told the BBC.

"The incredible damage that's going to be created by, first of all, just a diversion of people having to deal with this military operation, and divert relief operations — but obviously if you've got bombs being dropped from the sky while you're trying to rescue people it's nothing short of incredible."

Julie Bishop, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Myanmar, called for both sides to lay down their arms to allow help to reach those affected by the earthquake.

"This natural disaster will greatly exacerbate an already dire situation for the people of Myanmar," the former Australian government minister told The Australian on Saturday.

"The situation has now become even more urgent and disastrous and I call upon all the parties to the conflict to cease all violence now so we can focus our attention and resources and effort on assisting those people in desperate need."

There is precedent for major disasters to play a part in helping to restore peace to areas torn by conflict, most notably in Indonesia's Aceh province after it was devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

However, there is little precedent for this in Myanmar, where military governments have kept up repression even in the wake of destructive cyclones.

A map produced by the United States Geological Survey showing the intensity of the earthquake centred on Myanmar.  (Supplied: United States Geological Survey)

Sharp rise in death toll

Myanmar's ruling military said on Saturday on state television that the confirmed death toll from the earthquake rose to 1,644, as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of the scores of buildings that collapsed when it struck near the country's second-largest city.

The new total is a sharp rise compared to the 1,002 total announced just hours earlier, underlining the difficulty of confirming casualties over a widespread region and the likelihood that the numbers will continue to grow from Friday's quake.

The Inwa bridge over the Irrawaddy River collapsed in the earthquake. (AP: Maxar Technologies)

The number of injured increased to 3,408, while the missing figure rose to 139.

Most of the casualties were in Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city with a population of more than a million people and the city closest to the epicentre of the earthquake.

Hospitals in central and north-western Myanmar were struggling to cope with the influx of injured people, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said, warning that damage to roads was hindering access.

Rescue operations in Mandalay could not match the scale of the disaster, one resident said by phone, asking not to be named because of security concerns.

"Many people are trapped but there is no help coming, just simply because there isn't manpower or equipment or vehicles," he said.

Survivors there dug with their bare hands on Friday in desperate attempts to save those still trapped, lacking heavy machinery and with authorities absent.

Even though teams and equipment have been flown in from other nations, they are hindered by the airports in those cities being damaged and apparently unfit to land planes.

Myanmar's civil war makes movement around the country both difficult and dangerous, complicating relief efforts and raising fears that the death toll could still rise precipitously.

The United States Geological Service's (USGS) predictive modelling estimated the death toll could exceed 10,000 people in Myanmar and that losses could be greater than the value of the country's gross domestic product.

Blood in high demand

The earthquake struck at midday on Friday with an epicentre not far from Mandalay, followed by several aftershocks, including one measuring 6.4.

It sent buildings in many areas toppling to the ground, buckled roads, caused bridges to collapse and burst a dam.

Mandalay suffered some of the worst damage.  (AP: Myo Kyaw Soe/Xinhua)

In the capital Naypyidaw, crews worked on Saturday to repair damaged roads, while electricity, phone and internet services remained down for most of the city.

The earthquake brought down many buildings, including multiple units that housed government civil servants, but that section of the city was blocked off by authorities on Saturday.

Myanmar's government said that blood was in high demand in the hardest-hit areas. In a country where prior governments sometimes have been slow to accept foreign aid, Min Aung Hlaing said that Myanmar was ready to accept outside assistance.

Myanmar's military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, and is now involved in a civil war with long-established militias and newly formed pro-democracy ones.

Ye Aung with his wife Phyu Lay Khaing after she was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed apartment building. (AFP: Sai Aung Main)

Husband embraces wife after rescue

Amidst the desperation there were some good news stories.

Rescuers pulled a woman alive from the wreckage of a collapsed apartment building in Mandalay on Saturday, 30 hours after the earthquake.

Applause rang out as Phyu Lay Khaing, 30, was brought out of the Sky Villa Condominium by rescuers and carefully removed from the rubble by stretcher.

Her husband Ye Aung, who had been waiting anxiously for news, embraced her as the stretcher was lifted down.

"In the beginning, I didn't think she would be alive," Ye Aung told AFP as he waited for his wife to emerge from the debris.

"I am very happy that I heard good news," said the trader, who has two sons with his wife — eight-year-old William, and Ethan, five.

Rescuers search for survivors trapped in the collapsed Sky Villa Condominium building in Mandalay. (AFP: Sai Aung Main)

As the ambulance drove away to hospital, Ye Aung was seen through the window clutching his wife's hand.

A Red Cross official told AFP earlier that more than 90 people could be trapped under the remains of the apartment block.

Bangkok high-rise collapses

In neighbouring Thailand, the quake rocked the greater Bangkok area, home to about 17 million people, and other parts of the country.

Bangkok city authorities said the number of confirmed dead was now 10, nine at the site of the collapsed high-rise under construction near the capital's popular Chatuchak market, while 78 people were still missing.

A high-rise building under construction collapsed in Bangkok.  (AP: Wason Wanichakorn)

Rescue efforts were continuing in the hope of finding additional survivors.

On Saturday, more heavy equipment was brought in to move the tons of rubble, but hope was fading among friends and family members of the missing that they would be found alive.

"I was praying that they had survived, but when I got here and saw the ruin — where could they be? In which corner? Are they still alive? I am still praying that all six are alive," said 45-year-old Naruemol Thonglek, sobbing as she awaited news about her partner, who is from Myanmar, and five friends who worked at the site.

Bangkok worker ran for his life

 

Photo shows A man in a light denim jacket stands near media at the construction site

As Pornsak Seingsing ran for his life out of a collapsing high-rise building in Bangkok, he could hear terrified cries at his back.

Thai authorities said the quake and aftershocks were felt in most of the country's provinces. Many places in the north reported damage to residential buildings, hospitals and temples, including in Chiang Mai, but the only casualties were reported in Bangkok

Earthquakes are rare in Bangkok, but relatively common in Myanmar. The country sits on the Sagaing Fault, a major north-south fault that separates the India plate and the Sunda plate.

Brian Baptie, a seismologist with the British Geological Survey, said that the quake caused intense ground shaking in an area where most of the population lives in buildings constructed of timber and unreinforced brick masonry.

"When you have a large earthquake in an area where there are over a million people, many of them living in vulnerable buildings, the consequences can often be disastrous," he said in a statement.

Airport tower down

Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC analysed by the AP show the earthquake toppled the air traffic control tower at Naypyitaw International Airport as if shorn from its base.

The control tower at Naypyitaw International Airport collapsed in the quake.  (AP: Planet Labs PBC)

Debris lay scattered from the top of the tower, which controlled all air traffic in the capital of Myanmar, the photos showed on Saturday.

International relief efforts

Australia is providing $2 million to the rescue effort through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

"Australia's support will assist ICRC to carry out immediate lifesaving support including to address emergency medical needs," Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement.

"Australia does not provide any direct funding to the military regime and takes proactive steps to ensure our assistance does not legitimise the military regime in Myanmar."

China said it has sent more than 135 rescue personnel and experts along with supplies like medical kits and generators, and pledged around $US13.8 million in emergency aid.

Russia's Emergencies Ministry said that it had flown in 120 rescuers and supplies, and the country's Health Ministry said Moscow had sent a medical team to Myanmar.

China and Russia are the largest suppliers of weapons to Myanmar's military.

Other countries like India and South Korea are sending help, and the UN allocated $US5 million to start relief efforts.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington was going to help.

[My Penis is hungry]

No damage in Chasing Mai Chaing Rai or Udon Thani? 

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Nothing reported only tremors felt. Which is quiet odd considering how close Chiang Rai is to Mandalay compared to Bangkok.

The Chiang Mai governor has been instructed to assess any fall-out from the quake although the Chiang Mai Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office (PPDMO) says it has not yet received reports of damage and continues to closely monitor the situation.

At 08:37, the earthquake monitoring centre reported a 6.4 magnitude seismic event with the epicentre located near Kengtung in the Shan State of Myanmar at a depth of 9 kilometres,
approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Mae Sai District, Chiang Rai Province. It was followed by a series of aftershocks.

The tremors were felt in several provinces including Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, Lamphun, Phayao, Lampang, Nan, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, and in Bangkok, particularly in high-rise buildings.

People in Chiang Mai city centre and the surrounding districts felt the earth move, with both flat and elevated areas experiencing the tremors, prompting concerns about potential aftershocks.

The Chiang Mai region remains vigilant for any further seismic activity.

A student in a fourth-floor classroom said the teacher abruptly halted the lesson and instructed everyone to leave the building when the earthquake occurred.

Some individuals initially thought they were experiencing dizziness without realizing an earthquake had taken place. Others, who were busy working, were unaware of the tremors and once the situation had calmed down, life in the city continued as usual for most residents.

Mae Fah Luang University in Chiang Rai Province and schools in Lampang Province issued evacuation orders, instructing people to gather outside the buildings for safety.

The seismic activity had no impact on electricity generation at the Mae Moh Power Plant in Lampang province and has not affected the Mae Chang and other dams operated by the Provincial Electricity Authority in the Mae Moh district

The 41 Thais waiting in Kengtung to be repatriated are also said to be safe.

[My Penis is hungry]

Yeahy thoughts, the road to Pai from Chaing Mai has thermal springs, quite worth the visit and regularly has tremors I'm told by locals

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LIVE UPDATES: Death Toll Exceeds 3,500; Hundreds in Urgent Need of Quake Aid; Junta’s Airstrikes Still Rage on and More

by The Irrawaddy

Earthquake death toll exceeds 3,500

Photo: MFSD

The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28 has risen to 3,514 with 4,809 injured as of Sunday evening, the junta’s state media announced. The number is expected to rise. The hardest hit area is Mandalay, with the regime’s nerve center Naypyitaw ranking second and Sagaing third.

10 more bodies found at ‘earthquake-proof’ Mandalay high-riser

 

Photo: MFSD

The bodies of nine women and a child were recovered on Monday from the Sky Villa high-rise condominium in Mandalay city, which collapsed after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar on March 28.
That brings the total of people confirmed dead at Sky Villa to 63, according to the Myanmar Fire Services Department, which continues search operations together with a rescue team from China. Rescue operations at the condominium have attracted public attention partly because it had hundreds of occupants and was marketed as having earthquake-resistant foundations.

 

Three civilians in their 50s and 60s were killed and two women wounded when a junta paraglider dropped two bombs on Thonepanhla village in Sagaing Region’s Chaung-U Township around 11.30 pm on Sunday, according to locals. The attack in the earthquake disaster zone occurred despite a regime ceasefire declared until April 22 to facilitate relief and recovery efforts.

Junta airstrike kills three-month-old baby in Karen State

A 3-month-old baby and 10-year-old child were killed when a regime warplane dropped three bombs on Nae Ka village in Papun Township, Karen State on April 2, according to the Karen National Union on Monday. The airstrike also wounded two other civilians and destroyed homes in the village, the ethnic revolutionary group said.

320 displaced people going hungry after quake wrecks Shan monastery

(Photo: PYO)

Hundreds of internally displaced people (IDPs) urgently need food and shelter after their temporary sanctuary at a Buddhist monastery in Heyaywama village, Yawnghwe Township, Shan State was wrecked in the March 28 earthquake. The monastery was sheltering 320 people from Pekon town and Karenni State, according to Pa-O Youth Organization (PYO). Junta authorities instructed them to return to their homes last month amid fighting between regime troops and the Pa-O National Army some 16 km south of Heyaywama, the PYO said.

Junta boss belatedly visits quake-hit Sagaing

(Photo: CINCDS)

Myanmar junta boss Min Aung Hlaing belatedly visited Sagaing on Sunday to inspect the damage 10 days after the March 28 quake devastated the town known for its many Buddhist religious sites.
Located right across the Irrawaddy River from Mandalay, Sagaing was at the epicenter of the 7.7 magnitude quake and the third-hardest hit city with an official death toll of 467 as of April 3.

Hundreds in urgent need of aid in quake-hit Mandalay town

(Photo: Ko Htet Thedaw)

The powerful earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28 resulted in the deaths of at least 13 residents and severe injuries to 10 others in Thedaw town, Wundwin Township, Mandalay Region, according to residents. With many houses and buildings in the town damaged and some having collapsed, over 700 people are now in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and are facing shortages of food and other necessities.

Junta boss thanks foreign quake rescue teams in Mandalay

(Photo: CINCDS)

Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing on Sunday thanked rescue teams from Belarus, China, India, Malaysia and Russia, who have been in Myanmar’s second-largest city Mandalay to respond to the massive earthquake that hit central Myanmar on March 28. So far, the quake has killed 3,514 people and caused widespread damage in Mandalay, Sagaing and the country’s capital Naypyitaw. The junta said emergency teams from 26 countries are working alongside relief groups from Myanmar.

Houses burn as junta shells village in Magwe near World Heritage Site

(Photo: CJ)

Myanmar junta forces indiscriminately shelled a village near Myitche town in Pakokku Township, Magwe Region on Saturday night, setting fire to approximately 17 houses and forcing residents to flee, according to local media reports.

Regime forces based in Myitche shelled Nyaung Hla Village on the western bank of the Irrawaddy River, which is directly across the river from Nyaung U town in Mandalay Region—home to the historic, UNESCO-listed Bagan archaeological zone.

Despite a declared ceasefire following the recent earthquake disaster, regime forces have continued aerial bombings, shelling and ground offensives across the country. Its truce is supposed to be in effect until April 22.

[think_too_mut]

On 3/30/2025 at 1:07 PM, Mekong said:

Of which only a few were evacuated from unsafe buildings, you think we all camped out? 

No, I said it is significantly less than what Burma went through.
My building is safe, people took a fright but no damage, civil engineers inspectors confirmed. 17 story buildings.