The United States Geological Service on Friday has registered a T7.7 magnitude erremot in northwestern Burma (Myanmar). Local authorities have not yet reported material damage or number of victims.
The tremor was recorded at 12:50 local time (6:20 GMT) 10 kilometers deep and The epicenter was located about 17 kilometers from Mandalay, the second city of the Asian country With 1.2 million inhabitants, according to the US agency. According to some witnesses to the medium Myanmar Now, parts of the Historic Palace of Mandalay suffered serious damage while a bridge in the town of Sagaing was completely destroyed. The effects of the earthquake were also felt in Ragún, the main city of the country, where the buildings were evacuated, a monastery collapsed in the city of Taungoo and 20 children were trapped.
At least 20 dead
Burma’s earthquake leaves At least 20 dead when a mosque collapses about dozens of faithful. The Military Board that governs the country since 2021 has declared The state of emergency in six areas of the country.
The coordinator of the International Federation of the Red Cross (FICR), Marie Manrique, has appeared for teleconference since Yangon, the largest city and the economic center of the country. “One of the most important things is that it is understood that not only the buildings that have cracks and fissures are affected, but also that there are buildings and public structures that have collapsed. This includes roads, bridges and public buildings, “said the humanitarian manager.
In this regard, he said that the collapse of the main bridge that connects Mandalay with Sagain, a town closest to the center of the country, has been confirmed, “which will represent a great logistics challenge” to access the population of this last town. The FICR representative explained that Sagain is in a area very affected by the internal conflict in Burmain which the army and several irregular armed groups have been involved in recent years.
For this reason, it is the place that concentrates the largest number of displaced people in the country. Manrique indicated that there is also concern “for a large dam that is being monitored to evaluate its status“
A building in construction collapse in Bangkok
In neighboring Thailand, the earthquake was also felt strongly and residential buildings and offices were evacuated, Efe verified. The public chain Thai PBS reported the collapse of a building under construction in the capital, Bangkok. At least three people died and more than 80 are trapped after the collapse. The Thai weather department warned of possible replicas and the population was recommended to take the necessary precautions and remain outdoors.
The authorities, with data from the construction company, reported that 320 people were within the work when it collapsed, and that 20 workers “are trapped in the hole of an elevator.”
Burma is close to a High tectonic activity zone for the pressure between the Plate of the Indian subcontinent, to the south, and the Euroasy, to the north. However, today’s earthquake is one of the strongest recorded in recent years. In August 2016, an earthquake of magnitude 6.8 degrees shook the country
