Massive Earthquake in Myanmar
Formerly known as Burma, the military government is poorly equipped to deal with major disasters and will be reluctant to allow in foreign aid & first responders. Thailand also impacted in a major way
Rows of wounded lay outside the emergency department of the 1,000-bed hospital in Myanmar's capital Nay Pyi Taw on Friday, some writhing in pain and others in shock after a powerful earthquake. A stream of casualties were brought to the hospital -- some in cars, others in pickups, and others carried on stretchers, their bodies bloody and covered in dust. "This is a mass casualty area", a hospital official said, as they ushered journalists away from the treatment area. The hospital itself was hit by the terrifying tremors, which buckled roads and ripped tarmac apart as the ground vibrated violently for around half a minute. The hospital's emergency department was itself heavily damaged, a car crushed under the heavy concrete of its fallen entrance. The Myanmar capital is some 250 kilometres south from the epicentre of the 7.7-magnitude shallow tremor, that hit northwest of the city of Sagaing on Friday afternoon, according to the United States Geological Survey. A 6.4-magnitude aftershock hit the same area minutes later. A team of AFP journalists were at the National Museum in Nay Pyi Taw when the earthquake struck, with chunks of the ceiling falling and cracks running up the walls. The road to one of the biggest hospitals in Nay Pyi Taw was jammed with traffic - Bangkok Post
Powerful tremors were also felt in neighbouring China and in Thailand, where buildings in the capital Bangkok were shaken violently. Pol Lt Col Worapat Sukthai, deputy police chief of Bangkok's Bang Sue district, said he could hear the sound of people screaming for aid trapped in the debris after a 30-story under-construction tower block collapse. "I heard people calling for help, saying help me," he told AFP. "We estimate that hundreds of people are injured but we are still determining the number of casualties." “I heard people calling for help, saying help me," he told AFP. "We estimate that hundreds of people are injured but we are still determining the number of casualties…I fear many lives have been lost. We have never experienced an earthquake with such a devastating impact before." Bangkok residents are used to tremors -- and know to find a safe space outside if possible -- but many said the force on Friday came as a shock. "I was shopping inside a mall when I noticed some signs moving, so I quickly ran outside," said Attapong Sukyimnoi, a broker. "I knew I had to get to an open space -- it was instinct - Bangkok Post
Teams of rescuers were rushing to help workers trapped in the rubble of a collapsed high-rise building under construction near Chatuchak market after the powerful earthquake that shook Bangkok on Friday. Eighty-one people were were trapped in the rubble of the 30-storey structure and three had been confirmed dead, Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on Friday afternoon. A report said there were about 400 people working at the construction site, both Thai and foreign workers. The injured were being transported to nearby hospitals in Bangkok. Elsewhere in Bangkok, schoolchildren were terrified when the quake shook Siamscape, a mixed-use building in Siam Square that also houses tutoring schools. Some structures collapsed and cracks formed in the ceiling and walls. The children were trapped in the building for a while, according to a post on the X account #แผ่นดินไหว, but were all evacuated out safely later. In Klong Toey, hundreds of people were evacuated from the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, where the National Book Fair was being held, when powerful shaking was felt. The fair has been closed to the public for now, according to the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand - Bangkok Post
Bangkok has been declared a disaster area following a strong earthquake in neighbouring Myanmar, City Hall announced on Friday. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt has been placed in charge of coordinating the disaster response, it said. The governor said that the Myanmar quake has caused damage to many high-rise buildings in the capital. He said inspections were underway and urged people to be cautious. Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) announced that all flights in and out of Bangkok are operating normally following the Myanmar quake that rattled the city. However, the Transport Ministry ordered the suspension of public transportation services, including buses and electric trains. The earthquake on Friday caused damage to Rama II Road in Bangkok, making the road surface uneven. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was in a meeting in the resort town of Phuket, said the government is setting up a 24-hour emergency centre and arranging for all state agencies to respond quickly to the emergency. Deputy Prime Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong said the country’s telecommunication system has been disrupted.
I was one of the first responders to enter Myanmar in 2008 in the immediate aftermath of Cyclone Nargis. Working for UNICEF at the time, I recall the military government delayed our access for days while it vetted visa applications submitted by the UN Secretary General’s office. Before I left, I was finally able to tour the Irrawaddy Delta — the worst-affected region in Burma — by helicopter. A huge problem was monitoring the delivery of aid to worst-affected regions as the military government insisted that its own channels be used. On top of that they severely restricted our access so the usual monitoring work we would do was largely not possible. With this disaster, expect the military generals to lean first on trusted friends such as China, Russia and India. They are paranoid about allowing foreign aid workers into the country unchecked. Infrastructure in Myanmar remains very poor and the state is fighting an insurgency that has been rapidly spreading. After decades of military rule and brutal repression, ethnic groups have brought the dictatorship to crisis point. As per BBC reporting - as of the middle of last year, somewhere between half and two-thirds of the country has fallen to the resistance. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, including many children, since the military seized power in a coup in 2021. Some 2.5 million have been displaced, and the military facing an unprecedented challenge to its rule and in an attempt to thwart the growing resistance regularly bombs civilians, schools and churches from its warplanes (the resistance has none).
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