Earthquake in Southeast Asia

 

Over 150 dead in Thailand and Myanmar – expected to rise

144 people have been confirmed dead and 732 injured in Myanmar after Friday's powerful earthquake. This is stated by the leader of the country's military junta, writes AFP. According to the leader, the figures are expected to rise.

At the same time, at least eight deaths have been reported in Thailand as a result of the earthquake, according to the Thai government. 117 people are missing after a 30-story building under construction collapsed in Bangkok. Five have been confirmed dead from there.

The earthquake occurred at 1:30 p.m. local time on Friday and had a magnitude of 7.7. Shortly afterwards, an aftershock with a magnitude of 6.4 occurred.

The epicenter was near Mandalay, which is Myanmar's second largest city. The earthquake was also felt in India, China and Vietnam.

Major devastation in Myanmar – bridge collapses into river and roads destroyed

Details continue to pour in, giving an idea of ​​the extent of the major earthquake that had its epicenter in Mandalay, Myanmar on Friday morning.

Images published by the BBC show great devastation in hard-hit Myanmar. Houses have collapsed, roads have been destroyed and a video shows a bridge collapsing into a river.

– The death toll is high, a rescue worker in Mandalay tells the BBC.

At noon on Friday, Swedish time, the first confirmed deaths began to come in. The New York Times reports at least 20 deaths in Myanmar and three deaths in Thailand, but that number is likely to rise. The US Geological Survey fears that thousands have died and many more have been injured.

The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.7 and was followed by an aftershock of 6.4. This can be compared with the earthquake in Turkey and Syria two years ago, which had a magnitude of 7.8.

According to the BBC, the quake was also felt in China, India and Vietnam.

He survived the building collapse: "I just ran"

Construction worker Sunan Kenkiat, 31, survived with nothing but horror when the 30-story building collapsed in Bangkok as a result of the earthquake in Myanmar. He tells CNN how he was working on the building's sprinkler system when it suddenly started shaking and he felt dizzy.

As the shaking got stronger, chunks of cement began to fall. Sunan then shouted to his colleagues to run. When he heard three “dull bangs” he knew the building was about to collapse.

“After the bang, I couldn’t see anything. I just ran to find a way out,” Sunan says.

According to the Thai rescue service, 117 people are missing after the high-rise building collapsed and five have been confirmed dead.

Reactions to the earthquake
Amnesty: Couldn’t have happened at a worse time for Myanmar

Friday’s powerful earthquake couldn’t have happened at a worse time for Myanmar, says Joe Freeman, Myanmar researcher at Amnesty, to the BBC.

Freeman describes central Myanmar, which was the epicenter of the earthquake, as the core of the ongoing conflict in the country. That, together with the earthquake, will make the delivery of emergency aid even more complicated.

“There are already so many problems affecting civilians there, such as military airstrikes and clashes between resistance groups and the military,” Freeman says.

Even before Friday’s earthquake, more than three million people were internally displaced in Myanmar. The UN estimates that a third of the country’s population is in need of humanitarian assistance.

Myanmar has been in a civil war since the military coup in the country four years ago.

Analysis: Both criteria for a giant earthquake were met

It is almost impossible to imagine the force that is set in motion when the Earth's crustal plates collide, writes Sky News science editor Tom Clarke in an analysis after Friday's earthquake in Myanmar.

He writes that the boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plates runs under the city of Mandalay, and that an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 is extremely powerful if it occurs close to the ground surface and in the vicinity of densely populated areas.

"Friday's earthquake met both."

The BBC's Rebecca Henschke writes that it is happening at a catastrophic time for the country. The civil war has forced 3.5 million people to flee their homes and hunger has reached alarming levels, she writes.

According to Henschke, the UN estimated, before today's earthquake, that nearly 20 million people are in need of emergency aid.

"Now the situation has become much worse."

World leaders offer their support: “My thoughts are with the victims”

Several world leaders comment on the earthquake in Southeast Asia and offer their support.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen writes on X that the images from Myanmar and Thailand are heartbreaking, and that her thoughts are with those affected.

“Europe’s Copernicus satellites are already helping the initial rescue efforts and we are ready to offer more support. We support you in full solidarity,” she writes.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also says that they are ready to support Myanmar and Thailand.

“As soon as necessary,” he tells AFP.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offers his support. He says that India is ready to provide “all possible assistance,” he writes on X.

The earthquake, which had its epicenter in Myanmar with a magnitude of 7.7, also affected Thailand and parts of China. Thousands are estimated to have died, according to the US Geological Survey.