China Search for earthquake survivors - anxiety in Bangkok
After the devastating earthquake in Myanmar, rescue workers in Southeast Asia continue search and rescue operations - and find more bodies. The situation in the civil war country of Myanmar remains unclear - it was feared that significantly more than the 1,644 people confirmed so far may have died there.
30.03.2025, 06:05
30.03.2025, 08:29
SDA
According to official figures, at least 17 people died in Thailand's capital Bangkok, where the strong quake was also clearly felt. A further 83 people are believed to be missing in Bangkok.
Search continues under the rubble of high-rise buildings
Rescue workers in Bangkok searched intensively, especially in the rubble of a high-rise building that was still under construction when it collapsed during Friday's earthquake disaster. More people were thought to be trapped in the rubble. People have gathered there and are desperately waiting for news of their relatives, whom they have not heard from since the disaster.
Ten deaths have already been confirmed there alone. According to media reports, several dozen are still missing. The helpers are fighting against time. They are using sniffer dogs to search for more survivors. On Saturday, they had heard signs of life under the rubble.
Even though the quake ultimately caused the high-rise building in Bangkok to collapse, the Thai authorities have now launched an investigation to determine how this could have happened, as reported by the Bangkok Post.
The severe earth tremors with an epicenter in Myanmar on Friday were felt beyond the country's borders. The strongest quake occurred near Mandalay, the second largest city in Myanmar, with a magnitude of 7.7.
A few minutes later, another strong earthquake followed a little to the south - the Geo Research Center in Potsdam (GFZ) and the US Earthquake Observatory (USGS) reported a magnitude of 6.5 and 6.7 respectively. There were numerous other aftershocks. The large quakes were also clearly felt in parts of China and Vietnam.
Numerous deaths in Myanmar
Little information has been released from Myanmar, which was particularly hard hit. The military junta ruling the civil war country has so far confirmed 1,644 deaths. 3,400 people have been injured. However, experts fear that far more people may have lost their lives. The situation in the country is dramatic.
As can be seen in photos, a number of houses have collapsed and bridges have collapsed. A hospital in the state of Shan was completely destroyed.
According to "Myanmar Now", the natural disaster also caused the air traffic control tower at the international airport in the capital Naypyidaw to collapse. At least six people were killed, the news site reported, citing its own sources.
The opposition in Myanmar announced a unilateral pause in fighting for the duration of the rescue work. All attacks would be suspended for two weeks, declared the National Unity Government (NUG), the democratic shadow government that was formed as an alternative to the ruling junta after the military coup in 2021. However, "defense operations" were excluded, it said.
According to media reports, the military junta continued its attacks against rebel groups shortly after the earth tremors. In an interview with the British BBC, the UN Special Rapporteur for Myanmar, Tom Andrews, called on the junta to suspend all military operations.
Hundreds of houses damaged in China
In China, a neighboring state of Myanmar and one of the few allies of the civil war country, the earthquake hit the southwestern province of Yunnan the hardest. According to state media, almost 850 houses were damaged in the city of Ruili, which is around 300 kilometers from the epicenter in Myanmar. Two people were injured there. The authorities reportedly checked the condition of water protection projects and power plants after the quake.
Aid from abroad begins
Aid from abroad began to arrive after the quake, particularly for Myanmar, which has been ravaged by civil war. The relief service Malteser International sent an emergency aid team from Germany to the affected areas.
According to state media, China sent several disaster control teams with special equipment to Myanmar. According to the Chinese news agency Xinhua, a Chinese team rescued a man from the rubble of a hospital in Naypyidaw after 40 hours.
The Thai government also announced that it had sent special teams to Myanmar to assist with search and rescue work and damage assessment, despite being affected itself.
Myanmar's neighboring country to the west, India, also sent the first relief supplies. An Indian Air Force plane landed in the city of Yangon with a 15-ton load of relief materials such as tents, blankets, generators and medicines, according to the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi. The shipment was accompanied by a group of search and rescue workers and a medical team.
