A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 struck central Myanmar on March 28, sending shockwaves across the region, and causing widespread chaos in neighbouring Thailand. The epicentre of the earthquake was located approximately 16 kilometres northwest of Sagaing, Myanmar. It took place at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres. Here’s what we know about the earthquake in Southeast Asia.
Earthquake near Singapore
The strong earthquake in Southeast Asia followed a significant aftershock 12 minutes later measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale. The first 7.7 magnitude earthquake centered in Myanmar caused buildings to sway and people to evacuate in Bangkok – nearly 900 kilometres away from the epicentre.
The two powerful earthquakes caused significant damage in Myanmar. Particularly, in the capital city of Naypyidaw, where roads and ceilings collapsed, and the famous Ava Bridge in Sagaing also collapsed. This highlights the quake’s destructive power. The full extend of causalities and damage remains unclear.
In Bangkok, the quake caused buildings to sway, water to spill from high-rise pools, and residents fled into the streets in panic. For instance, a 30-storey government office under construction collapsed trapping 43 workers. As a result a state of emergency has been declared in Bangkok. Meanwhile. metro and light rails serves were partially suspended, and trading on the Stock Exchange of Thailand was halted.
Additionally, tremors were felt in southwest Yunnan in China where houses were damaged and people were injured. Plus, tremors were experienced in India’s Delphi-National Capital Region and Vietnam’s Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. There has been no reports of tremors in Singapore so far.
Sky News is reporting as of March 29 more than 1,000 people have been killed by the earthquake. Meanwhile, nearly 3,000 people are reported to be injured.
Myanmar are at risk of earthquakes and natural disasters given its location between four tectonic plates. More to follow on this earthquake near Singapore.