Yangon, March 28 – Many people have died in Friday’s earthquake that struck central Myanmar and Thailand in an earthquake on Friday.
The 7.7-magnitude earthquake’s epicenter was near Sagaing town and it heavily struck Mandalay city, causing many buildings, including hotels, condos, university buildings and hospitals, to collapse.
It caused significant damage in Magwe, Bago and Naypyitaw regions and Shan State, where multiple buildings, roads, and bridges are reported to have collapsed.
A building collapsed in Mandalay city during the 7.7 magnitude earthquake on Friday. / CJ
The Shwe Bhone Shan mosque in Mandalay city and Kan Taw mosque in Taungoo town, Bago Region, both collapsed during Friday prayers, killing at least 34 people.
Six children were confirmed dead as rescue efforts continued at a Buddhist monastery in Taungoo, where displaced people were sheltering, according to rescue teams.
Several military headquarters and parliamentary buildings allegedly collapsed in Naypyitaw.
Former army captain Zin Yaw told The Irrawaddy that heavy damage had been reported at military headquarters in the capital.
A junta source told The Irrawaddy that numerous military injuries had been reported, including his brother-in-law.
Ava Bridge connecting Mandalay and Sagaing collapsed on Friday. / CJ
He said the air traffic control tower at Naypyitaw International Airport had collapsed, killing the entire ATC team.
AFP quoted a doctor saying about 20 people were killed at a major Naypyitaw hospital.
People are missing at the collapsed Hotel Aungban in Aungban town adjacent to the tourist destination of Kalaw town in southern Shan State, according to residents.
The US Geological Survey issued a red alert before the earthquake, which caused the collapse of a high-rise building being constructed in the Thai capital, Bangkok, where numerous construction workers are missing.
The agency estimated that the death toll could reach 10,000.
Myanmar’s junta has made a rare request for international humanitarian aid and declared a state of emergency across six regions.
Quake in Bangkok Thailand
Bangkok, March 28 (Bangkok Post)–A mushroom cloud of dust and debris swept through the streets of northern Bangkok on Friday as panicked residents ran for their lives after an under-construction skyscraper came crashing down following a powerful earthquake.
The construction site of a new 30-storey government building quickly turned into a disaster scene, with people jumping into cars to escape or shrieking as they fled on foot.
Workers in hardhats and orange hi-vis jackets were engulfed by dust as the concrete stack fell, with dozens who couldn’t get away trapped under the rubble.
Rescuers at the collapse site were dwarfed by an enormous mound of rubble and tangled metal struts, just metres from the bustling Chatuchak Market.
Eighty-one people were known to be trapped in the rubble and three had been confirmed dead, Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on Friday afternoon.
The Narenthorn Centre at the National Institute for Emergency Medicine reported at 6.40pm that a total of 68 people were injured, five of them critically. They were sent to seven hospitals in the area.
A report said there were about 400 people working at the construction site, both Thai and foreign workers. The injured were being transported to nearby hospitals in Bangkok.
The building, located on an 11-rai site on Kamphaeng Phet Road, was being built for the State Audit Office, said deputy auditor-general Sutthipong Boonnithi, who was present at the scene.
Work began on the 2.1-billion-baht building in 2020 and work was 30% complete. The construction had reached its highest floor.
The main contractor for the project is ITD-CREC, a joint venture between Italian-Thai Development Plc and China Railway No 1 (Thailand). Inspections were the responsibility of a joint venture comprising PN Synchroniz, W and Associates Group and KP Consultants and Management, Mr Sutthipong said.
Mr Phumtham said Friday’s seismic event was unprecedented in Bangkok in the past 100 years and would require extensive follow-up
“Bangkok is a concern because the land is muddy and vulnerable. Preliminary inspections have found that there are several spots where buildings have cracks.”
The 7.7-magnitude quake violently shook buildings across Bangkok — where strong tremors are almost unheard of — leaving workers and shoppers rushing into the street in shock.
“At first, I thought I was sick — like I was getting dizzy or about to faint. Then I noticed the lanterns were moving,” said an office worker who fled her building.
Dramatic video showed the tremor rocking a high-rise hotel, with water from its rooftop pool whipping over the building’s edge.
“I was shopping inside a mall when I noticed some signs moving, so I quickly ran outside,” said Attapong Sukyimnoi, a broker. “I knew I had to get to an open space — it was instinct.”
END
