Terrible earthquake in Myanmar, affecting all over Asia

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake has shaken a region of Asia, causing casualties and collapsing several buildings in Myanmar and a high-rise under construction in Bangkok, Thailand.

The earthquake struck at around 12:50 p.m. local time on March 28 at a depth of nearly 10 kilometers, with its epicenter 16 kilometers from Sagaing City (Myanmar) and 17.2 kilometers from Myanmar's second largest city, Mandalay, according to the US Geological Survey. More than 10 minutes later, a 6.4-magnitude aftershock occurred in 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 after the earthquake. The death toll is expected to rise, according to AFP.

"Mass casualty area"

The earthquake caused widespread damage, particularly in Myanmar, where buildings tilted, roads cracked and the iconic 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 shooed journalists away, saying: "This is a mass casualty area."

Cracks appear 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 hospital. "I have never seen anything like this before. We are trying to deal with the situation. I am exhausted," AFP quoted a doctor as saying.

After 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 in front of my eyes. Everyone in my town went out into the streets and no one dared to go back to that building."

Myanmar Earthquake Witness: '5-storey building collapsed 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 three to four minutes. The building where I live was unstable," the resident said.

By the afternoon of March 28, Myanmar National Radio and Television (MRTV) reported that "many civilians were killed" by the earthquake and that "many injured" were in hospitals in central Sagaing and Mandalay, as well as in Naypyidaw. The Global New Light of Myanmar reported that the earthquake had caused several buildings in five cities and towns to collapse, two bridges to collapse, and damaged a highway.

The Myanmar government has declared a state of emergency in six regions, including Sagaing, Mandalay, Naypyidaw, and has launched a rapid investigation into the damage, according to the 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.

30-story building collapsed

Across the border in Thailand, the earthquake in Myanmar sent panicked residents into the streets of several cities. In the capital Bangkok, a 30-story building under construction collapsed, killing at least three workers and trapping 81 in the rubble, according to AFP, citing Thai Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai. Phumtham said Thailand had ordered schools nationwide to close as officials assessed the damage, noting that such an event had "not happened in 100 years," according to CNN.

A high-rise building under construction collapsed in Bangkok after a powerful earthquake in Myanmar.

Map of the earthquake in Myanmar on March 28

Graphics: Synthesis

In addition, Bangkok City Hall announced that the capital had been declared a disaster area following the earthquake. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt warned of the possibility of aftershocks, urged calm and said the situation was largely under control. Across Bangkok and the northern Thai tourist destination of Chiang Mai, stunned locals ran outside, unsure how to respond to the unusual quake.

The earthquake in Myanmar was also felt across the region. China, Cambodia, Bangladesh and India all reported earthquakes, according to AFP. Strong earthquakes were reported in China's Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar, with no reports of casualties, Xinhua reported.

According to the US Geological Survey, there were six earthquakes measuring 7.0 or more on the Richter scale between 1930 and 1956 near the Sagaing Fault, which runs north to south through central Myanmar, AFP reported. In 2016, a 6.8-magnitude quake in the ancient capital of Bagan in central Myanmar killed three people and collapsed many of the towers and walls of temples at the tourist destination.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dong-dat-kinh-hoang-o-myanmar-anh-huong-khap-chau-a-185250328231701945.htm