Strong earthquake strikes central Myanmar, shakes buildings in Thailand

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Mar 28, 2025 5:46 AM EDT | Last Updated: 13 minutes ago

A beardown 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked Thailand and neighbouring Myanmar on Friday, bringing down a skyscraper nether operation successful Bangkok and toppling buildings successful Mandalay. 

At slightest 1 idiosyncratic was killed successful Bangkok and dozens of workers rescued from nether the rubble of the skyscraper, Thailand's National Institute of Emergency Medicine said.

Witnesses successful the metropolis said radical ran retired onto the streets successful panic, galore of them edifice guests successful bathrobes and swimming costumes arsenic h2o cascaded down from an elevated excavation astatine a luxury hotel.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake was of 7.7 magnitude and astatine a extent of 10 kilometres. It was followed by a almighty aftershock.

The epicentre was astir 17.2 kilometres from the metropolis of Mandalay, which has a colonisation of astir 1.5 cardinal people.

Myanmar's military-run authorities has declared a authorities of exigency successful six regions. 

Two eyewitnesses from the municipality of Taungnoo successful Myanmar's Bago portion told Reuters that astatine slightest 3 radical person died aft a mosque partially collapsed.

"We were saying prayers erstwhile the shaking started... Three died connected the spot," said 1 of the radical who spoke to Reuters.

An serviceman from the Myanmar Fire Services Department told Reuters: "We person started the hunt and going astir Yangon to cheque for casualties and damage. So far, we person nary accusation yet."

Social media posts from Mandalay, Myanmar's past royal superior that is astatine the centre of its Buddhist heartland, showed collapsed buildings and debris strewn crossed streets of the city. Reuters could not instantly verify the posts.

One witnesser successful the metropolis told Reuters: "We each ran retired of the location arsenic everything started shaking. I witnessed a five-storey gathering illness successful beforehand of my eyes. Everyone successful my municipality is retired connected the roadworthy and nary 1 dares to spell backmost wrong buildings."

Another witnesser successful the city, Htet Naing Oo, told Reuters that a beverage store had collapsed with respective radical trapped inside. "We couldn't spell in," she said. "The concern is precise bad."

A 3rd witnesser said a mosque successful the metropolis was severely damaged.

China's Xinhua quality bureau said beardown tremors were felt successful southwestern Yunnan state which borders Myanmar, but determination were nary reports of casualties.

Witnesses contacted successful Yangon said galore radical ran retired from buildings successful the city, the largest successful the country.

Meanwhile, witnesses successful Bangkok said 1 downtown bureau operation swayed from broadside to broadside for astatine slightest 2 minutes, with doors and windows creaking loudly.

Hundreds of employees filed retired via exigency stairs arsenic immoderate shocked and panicked workers froze. Loud shrieks could beryllium heard arsenic the gathering continued to sway.

Outside, hundreds gathered successful the day sun, portion unit with aesculapian kits recovered bureau chairs for aged and radical successful shock.