China Military leadership: At least 144 dead in Myanmar after earthquake
According to the military leadership, at least 144 people have died in Myanmar, the country hardest hit by the earthquake. A further 732 people were injured, as the junta announced on state television. In neighboring Thailand, three deaths were officially confirmed by late evening (local time).
28.03.2025, 16:38
SDA
The German Georesearch Institute (GFZ) in Potsdam recorded a magnitude of 7.8 for the earthquake in Myanmar at a depth of around 20 kilometers. The US earthquake observatory USGS registered a magnitude 7.7 quake at a depth of ten kilometers. A few minutes later, both organizations also registered another earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 a little to the south.
The epicenter was in Myanmar. Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing said on television that he had also requested help from the international community and other organizations. And he had already allowed India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN for short, to support aid workers in the regions.
The military junta has also declared a state of emergency in several regions of Myanmar. In the former Burma, a mosque and a monastery collapsed as a result of the violent earth tremors. The Red Cross in Myanmar speaks of devastating damage. There is great concern that dams on the Irrawaddy River have been damaged and could break.
Myanmar already marked by chaos and violence
The stronger quake occurred about 50 kilometers east of Monywa in central Myanmar. According to media reports, ten people were killed when a mosque collapsed in Mandalay, the country's second-largest city with a population of 1.6 million. In Taungoo, a monastery housing displaced people collapsed. In Sagaing, an old bridge collapsed. Photos also showed damaged historic pagodas in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw.
Since a military coup in February 2021, the former Burma has already been mired in violence and chaos, with various rebel groups fighting against the army, some of them successfully. Little information is getting out of the country.
According to General Zaw Min Tun, the spokesman for the military junta in Myanmar, the hospitals urgently need blood supplies. In Mandalay, the hospitals were overwhelmed by the number of injured, resident Zin Nyi, who was involved in the rescue work there, told the German Press Agency. "Many of my friends were at the mosque for prayers. When I got there, the mosque had collapsed," he said. The same was true of many buildings in the city. Crying could be heard on every corner.
According to Yin Yin Thwe, a resident of Mandalay, many people were trapped under the rubble. There were too few helpers.
Shell of high-rise building in Bangkok collapsed
Regions of Thailand, India, China and Vietnam were also affected by the earthquake. In Bangkok, the shell of a building more than 30 storeys high collapsed after the tremors. Videos on the internet showed workers running away from the collapsing high-rise. Thailand's Institute of Emergency Medicine reported three deaths and 68 injuries. According to media reports, more than 80 workers are still missing.
The German Foreign Office stated that there was no information about any Germans affected. However, the situation is still very unclear. Residents on the islands of Koh Samui and Phuket, which are popular with holidaymakers, felt nothing of the earthquake.
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said in the evening (local time) that the damage was limited. There was no risk of a tsunami. People could return to their homes.
