Hundreds Feared Dead, Skyscraper Collapses After Powerful Earthquake Rocks Thailand, Myanmar

A Thai Airways aircraft at the gate at London Heathrow

An extremely powerful earthquake struck a broad swath of Southeast Asia on Friday, officials in Thailand and Myanmar said.

The 7.7-magnitude quake was centered in Myanmar, killing at least 20 people in that country. It caused extensive damage there as well as in Thailand.

The United States Geological Survey said the quake, which struck at 12:50 p.m. local time, was of 7.7 magnitude and at a depth of 62 miles (10 km). The epicenter was about 10.5 miles (17 km) from the Myanmar city of Mandalay, which has a population of about 1.5 million.

The quake was followed by a powerful aftershock and several more moderate ones.

In Bangkok, video on social media showed a skyscraper that was under construction collapsing in seconds. Rescuers were still combing through the rubble of what was to be a 30-storey government building in the Chatuchak district of the city for 81 people trapped in the rubble.

Eighty-one people were were trapped in the rubble of the 30-storey structure and three had been confirmed dead, the country’s deputy prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, said on Friday afternoon.

The construction site of a new 30-storey government building quickly turned into a disaster scene, with people jumping into cars to escape or shrieking as they fled on foot.

The Bangkok Post reported that, in Siam Square, schoolchildren became terrified when the quake shook Siamscape, a mixed-use building that also houses tutoring schools.

In Myanmar, which is also referred to as Burma, buildings and bridges collapsed as a result of the quake. In a rare move, the country’s military spokesman, General Zaw Min Tun, asked other countries to provide aid, a rare international appeal by the junta, which has ruled since a 2021 coup. A bloody civil war had some 20 million people without sufficient food or shelter even before the quake, according to officials from the United Nations.

The country is also under heavy sanctions by the United States, Britain, and others.

At least three people were killed in Taungoo in Myanmar after a mosque partially collapsed, and at least two people died and 20 were injured after a hotel collapsed in Aung Ban, local media reported.

Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok’s main airport, did not close but operations have been affected after the seismic event led to severe traffic congestion in Bangkok following the temporary closure of the Chalerm Maha Nakhon Expressway and the Din Daeng toll booths, as well as the suspension of certain public transport routes

As a result of the quake, an inbound taxi shortage has arisen at the airport. Officials at Suvarnabhumi have put a temporary shuttle bus service into effect in order to help passengers stuck at there get closer to their destinations.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)