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Catastrophic 7.7 earthquake devastates Myanmar and Thailand; death toll could reach 100,000

By isabelle // 2025-03-28

• A devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar near Mandalay, causing widespread destruction and tremors felt in Thailand, India, and China.
• The USGS warns the death toll could reach 100,000, with thousands trapped under collapsed buildings, including a mosque and schools.
• Myanmar’s military junta, amid civil war, urgently requested international aid as failing dams and flooding risks compound the crisis.
• Bangkok suffered severe damage, including a collapsed high-rise, with at least three dead and 90 missing.
• The disaster echoes the 2023 Turkey-Syria quake, with recovery expected to take years amid political and infrastructural challenges.

A catastrophic 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar near Mandalay early Friday, unleashing destruction across the region and sending violent tremors hundreds of miles into Thailand, India, and China. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) warned the death toll could climb as high as 100,000, with tens of thousands already feared buried under collapsed buildings, including a mosque, schools, and a high-rise under construction in Bangkok. Myanmar’s military junta, locked in a brutal civil war, issued a rare plea for international aid as the Red Cross sounded alarms over failing dams and flooding risks in areas already crippled by conflict.

"I haven’t seen anything like this before"

The quake, which struck at 1:20 p.m. local time (6:20 GMT), was followed by a 6.4-magnitude aftershock minutes later. Its shallow depth—just 10 kilometers (6.2 miles)—amplified the devastation. In Mandalay, a mosque collapsed during prayers, killing at least 10 worshippers. In Taungoo, 20 children were trapped in a destroyed school. Naypyidaw’s hospitals were overwhelmed, with one doctor telling AFP, "We are trying to handle the situation. I'm so exhausted now." Bangkok, over 300 miles from the epicenter, felt the quake’s fury. A 30-story high-rise under construction crumbled into a cloud of dust, killing at least three workers and leaving 90 missing. "I heard people calling for help, saying ‘help me,’" said Worapat Sukthai, a Bangkok police deputy chief. "I fear many lives have been lost. We have never experienced an earthquake with such a devastating impact before."

State of emergency as junta appeals for help

Myanmar’s military ruler, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, declared a state of emergency across six regions and confirmed at least 144 deaths—a figure that is expected to rise sharply. The junta, which rarely cooperates with global aid groups, acknowledged "significant damage" and urged blood donations. The UN and EU pledged support, but access remains fraught in a country where conflict has displaced 3 million people. The Red Cross warned of cascading disasters: a 90-year-old bridge connecting Mandalay and Yangon collapsed, and dams in Sagaing—home to thousands displaced by civil war—were at risk of bursting. "This earthquake could not come at a worse time for Myanmar," said Amnesty International’s Joe Freeman, noting the military’s history of blocking aid to opposition-held areas.

Skyscrapers sway in Bangkok

In Thailand, the quake sent tourists and residents fleeing into streets as skyscrapers swayed violently. British expat Chelsea King described "water cascading down like waterfalls" from rooftop pools, while Scottish tourist Fraser Morton recalled what happened when the mall he was shopping in began to move. "I just started walking calmly at first but then the building started really moving, yeah, a lot of screaming, a lot of panic, people running the wrong way down the escalators, lots of banging and crashing inside the mall," he said. The disaster’s scale echoes the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake, which killed 50,000 peopel. With Myanmar’s infrastructure in tatters and Thailand assessing damages, recovery will take years. As night fell Friday, rescue teams in both nations dug through rubble, their work lit by floodlights and haunted by cries for help. For Myanmar, already reeling from war and poverty, the quake is a cruel blow. For Thailand, it’s a wake-up call about the vulnerabilities of rapid urbanization. As aftershocks rattle the region, the world watches—and waits—to see if politics will yield to humanity in the race to save lives. Sources for this article include: DailyMail.co.uk APNews.com CNN.com

earthquake collapse disaster natural disaster panic chaos Thailand Myanmar