Strong earthquake hits Thailand and Myanmar

A strong earthquake hit Myanmar and Thailand on March 28. The earthquake's epicenter was in Myanmar, but tremors were felt in parts of Thailand, including the capital, as well as in China. In Bangkok, people ran out of skyscrapers onto the streets. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar, with tremors also echoed in Thailand.

Photo: creativecommons.org by Roma Neus, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Bangkok view from Bangkok Palace Hotel - panoramio

The epicenter was located 16 km from the city of Sagaing at a depth of 10 km. A few minutes later, another earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 was recorded.

A high-rise building under construction collapsed in Bangkok's Chatuchak district. According to the Associated Press, authorities ordered evacuations from high-rise buildings in the Thai capital. Thousands of people who evacuated from buildings and hotels remain on the streets. Reuters noted that the tremors were so strong that water splashed out of swimming pools.

The Kom Chad Luek news service reported that the collapsed building was 30 stories high, with "many people" trapped under the rubble. AFP stated that at least 43 workers were involved. Khaosod clarified that the building under construction was intended for government offices. Thailand's Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Bureau is preparing a search-and-rescue team.

Bangkok has a population of approximately 17 million people.

The earthquake's magnitude in northern Thailand was 4.2. The Chinese Seismic Center reported that tremors were also felt in Yunnan province in the country's southeast.

Click here to see more raw videos of the earthquake.

In Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, several buildings tilted under the force of the tremors. Additionally, the earthquake partially destroyed a one-kilometer bridge over the Irrawaddy River. The bridge connects Mandalay with the city of Sagaing, which also experienced the destructive force of the quake.

The Shwe Pho Shein Mosque in the local village of Sinkai was also unable to withstand the tremors. The earthquake caught worshippers inside the mosque by surprise, and only a few were rescued from the debris.

Seismologists measured the first quake at a magnitude of 7.9, while the second reached 6.4. The tremors were also felt in neighboring Thailand, where a state of emergency was declared in Bangkok. The seismic waves reached the Thai city of Chiang Mai.