The earthquake has prompted the Sagaing Bridge to break down. Credit score: X @@jamsShadows4
A significant 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar on Friday afternoon (March 28), shaking buildings and rattling nerves as far-off as Bangkok, Thailand.
The tremor, confirmed by the US Geological Survey (USGS), hit simply earlier than 1 pm native time and has prompted important structural injury and widespread panic throughout the area. This can be a creating story.
Earthquake strikes Sagaing, close to Mandalay
In response to the USGS, the earthquake struck 16 kilometres northwest of Sagaing, close to Myanmar’s central metropolis of Mandalay, at a shallow depth of simply 10 kilometres, this meant its results had been stronger on the floor. A strong aftershock, measuring 6.4 in magnitude, adopted simply 12 minutes later.
The quake has triggered seen destruction, together with the collapse of the Previous Sagaing Bridge into the Irrawaddy River. Footage circulating on social media exhibits components of the bridge submerged within the water.
Brendon Banham, who skilled the tremor in Bangkok, advised todaysviralmedia: “Entire rental simply been shaking! Everybody on the road! I’m on the twelfth flooring of 39! Entire constructing would possibly come crashing down! Needed to run for my life down the hearth exit, insanity! Solely carrying shorts and obtained my cellphone!”
Myanmar has tragically been embroiled in a civil conflict following a coup who seized energy in February 2021.
Earthquake tremors felt in Thailand
The consequences of the earthquake had been felt so far as 1,400 kilometres away in Thailand, notably in Bangkok, the place startled residents fled high-rise buildings. CNN studies that lights swung violently, and other people rushed out of flats.
An area resident in Chiang Mai, Duangjai, advised AFP, “I heard it, and I used to be sleeping in the home, I ran so far as I might in my pyjamas out of the constructing.”
The Guardian additionally famous the earthquake’s power prompted water to spill from rooftop swimming pools in Bangkok’s skyscrapers.
Tragically, in Bangkok’s Chatuchak Park district, a constructing below building collapsed following the tremor. The Related Press reported dramatic video footage exhibiting the construction – with a crane on prime – crumbling into an enormous cloud of mud. Eight individuals have been reported lifeless.
Individually, the Nationwide Institute for Emergency Drugs mentioned 50 individuals had been inside one other constructing that collapsed in the identical space. Of these, 43 are reportedly trapped and 7 have been injured.
Different international locations which have felt the earthquake’s tremors are Bangladesh, India, Laos, and China.
Newest updates on the earthquake in Myanmar
There are considerations about infrastructure injury and potential landslides within the coming hours. Bangkok’s governor Chadchart Sittipunt has ordered a direct earthquake response command centre; instructing all districts and hospitals to evaluate damages, as reported by The Guardian. 90 individuals are reported to be lacking.
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