Yangon, Mar 28: A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.2 struck central Myanmar on Friday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. The tremor hit 16 kilometers northwest of Sagaing at a depth of 10 kilometers at around 12:50 pm local time (0620 GMT).
Witnesses in Bangkok reported panic as people ran onto the streets, and water splashed out of swimming pools. The U.S. Geological Survey and Germany’s GFZ Center for Geosciences confirmed that the earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers.
Beijing’s quake agency reported a 7.9 magnitude jolt in China’s Yunnan province. The tremors triggered alarms in high-rise buildings across the greater Bangkok area, prompting residents to evacuate condominiums and hotels. Many people gathered in the streets following the quake.
An under-construction building in Thailand collapsed due to the tremors. “I heard it, and I was sleeping in the house. I ran as far as I could in my pyjamas out of the building,” Duangjai, a resident of Chiang Mai, told AFP after feeling the tremors across northern and central Thailand.
Myanmar is prone to earthquakes, with six quakes of 7.0 magnitude or more recorded between 1930 and 1956 near the Sagaing Fault, which runs north to south through the center of the country, USGS data shows. A 6.8-magnitude earthquake in 2016 killed three people in Bagan and caused significant damage to temple structures.
The impoverished Southeast Asian nation has a strained medical system, especially in rural states, raising concerns about emergency response capabilities.
