A massive earthquake rocked central Myanmar on Friday, shaking the ground so hard that buildings crumbled in Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city. People bolted out of their homes, terrified, as the tremors spread.
Even Bangkok, Thailand — over 1,000 km (620 miles) away — felt it. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake hit 7.7 on the Richter scale, with a depth of 10 km.
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A powerful aftershock followed not long after. Officials haven’t said yet how bad the damage is, but early reports suggest Mandalay took a serious hit.
The powerful earthquake struck near Mandalay
The USGS measured the quake at 7.7 magnitude and a depth of 10 km. The epicenter was only about 17 km from Mandalay, a city of around 1.5 million people.
Buildings collapsed and fear took over Mandalay
The quake struck hard, and buildings in Mandalay just couldn’t hold up — several of them came down. Social media posts from the city, Myanmar’s former royal capital and a major Buddhist center, showed debris all over the streets.
One local shared what they saw: “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.”
People were trapped as structures crumbled
It wasn’t just homes and offices that took a hit. A tea shop went down with people inside. “We couldn’t go in,” said Htet Naing Oo. “The situation is very bad.”
Another witness reported that a mosque had also been seriously damaged.
Emergency teams began searching for casualties
So far, Myanmar authorities haven’t put out an official damage report. A firefighter in Yangon told Reuters, “We have started the search and going around Yangon to check for casualties and damage. So far, we have no information yet.”
The earthquake’s impact was felt in China and Thailand
The tremors weren’t just felt in Myanmar. China’s Xinhua news agency said people in Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar, also felt the quake, though no casualties were reported there.
Meanwhile, in Bangkok, about 1,000 km away, buildings shook violently, sending people running into the streets. The panic was so bad that the stock exchange had to stop trading.
People in Bangkok panicked as buildings swayed
The scene in Bangkok was chaos. Hotel guests rushed outside in bathrobes and swimsuits.
In one downtown office tower, the building swayed for nearly two minutes. Doors and windows creaked, adding to the fear.
Workers poured down emergency staircases, but some froze in shock. Screams rang out as the shaking went on.
Out on the streets, people stood in the heat, some visibly shaken. Medical teams jumped into action, offering chairs to the elderly and treating those who looked too overwhelmed to stand.
Authorities are still assessing the full extent of the damage
Officials in Myanmar are still working to figure out just how bad things are. “We have started the search and going around Yangon to check for casualties and damage. So far, we have no information yet,” said an officer from the Myanmar Fire Services Department.
