A magnitude 7.7 earthquake devastated central Myanmar officials estimate at least 70 dead and 200 injured from destruction and chaos. The epicenter was near the central city of Mandalay, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Monywa. It was a shallow, magnitude 4.9 earthquake, which hit at a depth of just 10 kilometers (six miles). It released waves of devastation that rippled outwards, most devastatingly impacting nearby Thailand.
Further afield—in neighboring Thailand, where a tsunami alert had been triggered too—Bangkok felt the impact of this earthquake severely. The neon-washed capital city, with a population of more than 17 million and famous for its high-rise forest, took the brunt of the disaster. A 30-storey skyscraper under construction in Bangkok’s northern area crumbled into nothing more than a heap of rubble and twisted metal within moments. This heartbreaking collapse took the life of at least one, with dozens others pinned under the wreckage. After the collapse, rescuers labored to rescue the workers trapped in the wreckage.
“We all ran out of the house as everything started shaking. I witnessed a five-storey building collapse in front of my eyes. Everyone in my town is out on the road and no one dares to go back inside buildings.” – A witness in Mandalay.
The earthquake’s impact extended far beyond Bangkok. In Myanmar, most notably near Mandalay, the tremors not only damaged homes, they buckled and shattered highways. In the wake of the destruction, one of Mandalay’s largest hospitals became inundated with victims, quickly receiving the label of a “mass casualty area.” Traffic congestion bottlenecked the route to this still-functioning hospital, here encircled by hundreds of hopefuls gathered outside in the blazing afternoon sun. The medical staff reacted as best they could, quickly administering help and using office McIntosh chairs as ad hoc cabriolet-style chairs for shock victims.
In Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar, hospitals soon became overwhelmed with a wave of wounded. The city’s medical facilities struggled to accommodate the influx, highlighting the quake’s devastating reach and impact on infrastructure.
The recent declaration of Bangkok as a disaster area highlights just how serious the situation is. Retrofitted city high rise apartments and mid-rises, which used to characterize its skyline beauty are—for its residents today—cause for concern and fear. The quakes have increased anxiety and forced thousands of residents to move out of their damaged homes.
The earthquake’s shallow depth made it a particularly destructive one, causing heavy or catastrophic structural damage across the affected area. Emergency services have been working around the clock to conserve or rescue lives in Indo-Burma. In the background, officials are working to determine the total damage.