Over 1,600 killed in Myanmar, Thailand earthquake

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More than 1,600 people have been confirmed dead in an earthquake that occurred in Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia.

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The quake occurred on Friday afternoon, with an epicentre in Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city.

The disaster also affected Thailand, a neighbouring country, where 10 people have been reported dead.

In Thailand, the disaster affected Bangkok, the capital city 620 miles from the Mandalay region, by bringing down a 33-storey high-rise that was still under construction.

According to multiple reports, the earthquake reportedly caused multiple buildings to collapse, including one of the largest monasteries in the city.

Photos from Naypyidaw, the capital, showed rescue teams pulling victims from the rubble of several buildings that housed civil servants.

Reuters reported that the 7.7 magnitude quake left more than 3,400 people injured, with 139 others still missing under the rubble.

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Aftershocks also followed the initial quake, one of them reportedly measured to be 6.4 magnitude.

The tremors were felt even across the border in China’s remote provinces.

Myanmar’s government has reported a high demand for blood in the hardest-hit areas and appealed for foreign assistance.

The military leader and head of the junta, Aung Hlaing, said that although the country had been hesitant to accept foreign aid in the past, it was now open to assistance in light of the recent tragedy.

However, the United Nations said on Saturday that wrecked roads and rubble are impeding relief efforts in Myanmar.

Death toll to rise to 10,000

Meanwhile, the US Geological Survey (USGS) has predicted that the death toll could top 10,000.

The agency said the 2025 quake is the most powerful to strike the Asian country in over a century.

It equated the recent disaster to an earthquake that happened in 1912 in Taunggyi, a city in east-central Myanmar, describing it as the last incident with a similar magnitude.

While Myanmar has experienced quakes in the past, they are of less magnitude and occur in distant, densely populated communities.

The country is vulnerable to earthquakes because it sits between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

An earthquake happens when rocks deep underground break or slip along a fault line, causing the ground to shake. This occurs because the earth’s surface is made up of giant rock pieces called tectonic plates that are constantly moving.

As these plates move, they sometimes push against, pull apart, or slide past each other. This movement creates pressure in the rocks along fault lines. Over time, the pressure builds up until the rocks suddenly snap or shift, releasing energy in the form of seismic waves.

According to the USGS, the Myanmar earthquake occurred because the India and Eurasia plates slid past each other sideways. This type of movement is known as “strike-slip faulting.”