Desk
Share
A haunting video captured how a crane fell off a building under construction in Bangkok during an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7. The earthquake shattered numerous structures, ripped a dam apart, and damaged road pathways beyond repair.
A minimum of 144 deaths have been reported alongside the hundreds suffering injuries. Emergency responders face difficulty retrieving people from the most damaged regions within Myanmar. The aftershocks of the quake that was followed by a powerful 6.4 magnitude jolt also shook neighboring Thailand. The residents were horrified as they watched high-rise buildings sway due to the earthquakes.
The video footage shows the screams emitted following the collapse of the tower crane as tremors began to rock the structure. A plethora of buildings in Mandalay and the capital city of Naypyidaw crumbled to pieces, with a monastery and a bridge aged 90 years’ also being demolished. The collapse of the structure added to the immense havoc, while the bursting of the dam left many regions submerged.
In a televised address, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s military commander, reported that the number of casualties is likely to climb as rescue operations are hampered by inaccessibility to the affected zones. Worse is the already bad humanitarian crisis within the country made complex by the lack of infrastructure, and energy and aid distribution becomes a greater problem than it is already.
At the other side of the border in Thailand, tremors were noticable even in Bangkok where a 33-story unsheltered edifice came crashing down. Ten workers were reported dead and several more remain unaccounted for within the collapsed structure. Witnesses of the scenes were running for safety with wailing sirens throughout the city. While emergency personnel tried to find the living ones, the infrastructure was shut down. Overground, more or less. “There does not appear to be doubt,” said one analyst describing the scene, “it is catastrophic.” Analysts stated the possibility of seeing the region hit with severe restriction aftershocks.
The earthquake has been one of the strongest in recent years and has left thousands of people in need of aid. The Red Cross has made the emergency request, and is in desperate need for food, shelter, and medical aid. Videos sent in from Mandalay and Yangon show people aiding fellow citizens by pulling survivors out of the collapsed structures, whilst others in the crowd desperately search for their loved ones. All communication has been fully interrupted, and authorities are concerned that the full depth of the disaster has yet to be revealed.
Now, the Myanmar government has declared a state of emergency in six regions. However, given the current and ongoing civil conflict, the government as well as aid groups find it difficult to render assistance. International humanitarian groups foresee worsening conditions in the upcoming days due to hospitals struggling to treat the increasing number of patients and critical infrastructure still in shambles.
Earthquake sum up 3pm (Mynamar/Thailand)
— Florian Witulski (@vaitor) March 28, 2025
- 7.7 quake hit near Mandalay/Myanmar
- Hundreds of homes collapsed (various Myanmar cities)
- Strong shocks in Thailand + multiple building collapse in Bangkok
- USGS predicts thousands of people dead
(Bangkok clips from social media:) pic.twitter.com/kJodTn6BIg
Read More: Global Aid Rushed to Myanmar and Thailand After Devastating Earthquake Kills Over 1,700
--Advertisement--
