Earthquake Chaos Unleashes Terror in Myanmar, Thailand
A seismic shockwave rips through Southeast Asia, leaving devastation in its wake.
Breaking News: Hell Breaks Loose in Southeast Asia
It’s 07:38 AM PDT, March 28, 2025, and the ground is still trembling. A monstrous earthquake slammed central Myanmar at 12:50 PM local time (06:20 GMT)—a 7.7 magnitude beast, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The epicenter? Just 16 kilometers northwest of Sagaing, near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city. Ten kilometers deep, shallow enough to rip through everything in its path. Minutes later, a 6.4 magnitude aftershock hit 18 kilometers south of Sagaing, piling on the misery.
Across the border, Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, reels from the fallout. A skyscraper under construction crumbled at 1:05 PM local time, trapping 81 workers, Reuters reports. Three are confirmed dead. Rescue crews claw through rubble as screams echo. Tremors reached China’s Yunnan province and rattled Vietnam’s bridges. This isn’t just a quake—it’s a regional nightmare unfolding live.
Myanmar: Ground Zero Explodes
Mandalay, a city of 1.5 million, is a war zone of debris. The USGS clocked the first strike at 1:20 PM local time. Roads buckled in Naypyidaw, the capital, 300 kilometers south. A mosque in Bago collapsed, killing at least three, per AP reports. Historic chunks of Mandalay’s old palace—gone. Witnesses reported chaos as people fled crumbling buildings. “The whole city shook like it was going to split,” one local told AFP journalists on the scene.
Hospitals overflow. Naypyidaw’s 1,000-bed facility is a “mass casualty area,” a doctor told AFP at 2:30 PM local time. “I’ve never seen this many injured. We’re drowning.” At least 20 dead in Myanmar so far, per early counts from Hindustan Times. The Myanmar junta, usually tight-lipped, begged for international aid at 3:00 PM—a rare crack in their armor, signaling desperation.
Thailand: Bangkok’s Skyscraper Horror
Bangkok, 700 kilometers from the epicenter, didn’t escape. At 1:05 PM local time, a 40-story building under construction pancaked. Thailand’s National Institute of Emergency Medicine pegged the worker count at 320 when it fell. Three bodies pulled out by 3:30 PM. Sixty-eight injured. Dozens still missing. “Concrete slabs crashed like thunder,” a rescuer told Reuters at 4:00 PM. Video from the scene shows dust clouds swallowing the skyline.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra cut short a Phuket trip, landing in Bangkok by 6:00 PM. She declared the city a disaster zone. “Stay calm, but expect aftershocks,” she warned in a press briefing at 6:30 PM, per BBC. Public transport—BTS trains and MRT lines—shut down. The Stock Exchange of Thailand halted trading at 2:00 PM, Reuters confirmed. Panic rules the streets.
Aftershocks: The Nightmare Won’t Stop
At 1:32 PM Myanmar time, the 6.4 aftershock struck. Sagaing took the brunt—more homes flattened, more lives upended. USGS warns of more to come. “Shallow quakes like this breed aftershocks,” their 2:00 PM alert read. China’s Tsunami Warning Centre scrambled at 3:15 PM, eyeing a possible local tsunami off Myanmar’s coast. No waves yet, but the threat looms.
In Bangkok, office workers poured into Benjasiri Park by 1:15 PM, fleeing swaying towers. “The building moved, dust everywhere—it was chaos,” a witness told CBS News at 2:45 PM. Social media buzz from verified handle @Reuters at 3:10 PM showed household items swinging in a Bangkok apartment. The quake’s reach? Staggering.
Global Ripple: China, Vietnam Feel the Shake
Southwest China’s Yunnan province caught the tremors by 1:30 PM local time. Beijing’s quake agency pegged it at 7.9 magnitude from their end—no deaths yet, but buildings cracked in Ruili near the Myanmar border, per state media at 4:00 PM. Vietnam felt it too—bridges wobbled, homes shook, though no damage reports surfaced by 5:00 PM.
India’s PM Narendra Modi tweeted at 5:30 PM IST: “India stands ready to assist Myanmar and Thailand.” Europe’s Copernicus satellites kicked into gear by 6:00 PM GMT, aiding rescuers, per Al Jazeera. The world watches, holding its breath.
Rescue Race: Time’s Ticking
In Bangkok, rescuers hit the skyscraper site by 1:30 PM. Cranes lift slabs; medics haul out the wounded. “We’re racing the clock,” a team leader told AP at 3:45 PM. Twenty kids reportedly trapped in a Taungoo, Myanmar, school collapse—details fuzzy, but the USGS red alert at 2:15 PM estimates “thousands” could be dead across the region.
Mandalay’s rescue teams are swamped. “The damage is enormous,” a worker told BBC at 4:30 PM. Myanmar’s junta declared emergencies in six regions—Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, Shan State, Naypyidaw, Bago—by 3:00 PM, per MRTV. Thailand’s transport ministry killed bus and train services at 5:00 PM. Every second counts.
History’s Warning: This Isn’t New
Myanmar’s no stranger to quakes. Six hit 7.0 or higher between 1930 and 1956 along the Sagaing Fault, USGS notes. In 2016, a 6.8 in Bagan killed three, toppling temples. Today’s 7.7 dwarfs them. Thailand? Strong quakes are rare there—until now. “I’ve never felt anything this strong,” a Bangkok resident told Al Jazeera at 3:20 PM. The fault’s awake, and it’s angry.
What It Means Now
This quake’s a gut punch. Myanmar’s junta, already battered by civil war, faces a test it can’t handle alone—aid pleas prove it. Bangkok’s collapse exposes shaky construction standards; expect probes and lawsuits. Casualties will climb—USGS’s red alert isn’t bluffing. Economies stall: Thailand’s stock market freeze signals trouble. Aftershocks could hit for days, maybe weeks. Tsunami risk? Still on the table. Southeast Asia’s on edge, and the world’s scrambling to respond.
The Human Toll: Faces in the Rubble
No names yet, just numbers. Three dead in Bangkok. Three in Bago. Twenty in Naypyidaw. Countless missing. A Mandalay monk inspected a wrecked monastery by 2:00 PM, AP photos show. In Bangkok, families wait near the collapse site, eyes on the cranes. “We’re trying to handle it,” that Naypyidaw doctor said, voice breaking. This is raw, real-time loss.
Next Moves: Aid and Alerts
The WHO triggered its emergency system at 5:00 PM GMT, prepping trauma kits from Dubai, per Telegraph UK. Thailand’s PM urged vigilance at 6:30 PM. Myanmar’s junta wants help—fast. China’s assessing tsunami odds. Rescuers dig. The USGS red alert screams “widespread disaster.” It’s not over.
Stay Sharp with Ongoing Now 24
This is live, messy, and unfolding. Myanmar and Thailand are in the quake’s grip, and the toll’s rising. Stick with Ongoing Now 24 for the latest as this seismic terror rolls on.
