GUWAHATI: The death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck Myanmar on Friday, March 28, has risen to over 1,000, with more than 2,300 people injured, according to the country’s ruling military government. The 7.7-magnitude quake, followed by a 6.4-magnitude aftershock, caused widespread destruction in Myanmar and neighboring Thailand, leading to the collapse of buildings and infrastructure.
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On Saturday, March 29, international aid began reaching Myanmar, a nation already struggling with the effects of a prolonged civil war. India has dispatched emergency relief supplies, along with search-and-rescue teams and medical personnel. Meanwhile, China sent a 37-member team to Yangon, the country’s former capital, equipped with medical supplies and life-detection technology, as confirmed by the Chinese embassy. Russia and the United States have also extended offers of assistance.
Myanmar’s military leader, Min Aung Hlaing, had previously warned that the number of casualties and injuries was expected to rise significantly. Initial reports indicated at least 144 deaths and 730 injuries, but the latest figures suggest a much graver situation.
Myanmar is highly susceptible to earthquakes due to its location along the boundary between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. The quake occurred along the Sagaing Fault, a major seismic fault line that runs through the country from north to south, impacting cities like Mandalay and Yangon.
Experts from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) have identified the earthquake as a result of "strike-slip faulting," where tectonic plates move sideways against each other. This type of movement, coupled with the quake’s shallow depth of just 10 kilometers, intensified its destructive power. Rebecca Bell, a geophysics expert at Imperial College London, likened the Sagaing Fault to California’s San Andreas Fault, highlighting its potential for generating large-scale earthquakes.
With the epicenter located in the Sagaing region near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, the number of fatalities and injuries is expected to climb. The British Geological Survey has warned that the shallow depth of the quake meant that shockwaves reached the surface with full intensity, leading to extensive structural damage.
Reports indicate that Myanmar's infrastructure is not designed to withstand powerful seismic events, as major earthquakes are relatively rare in the region. The last significant quake in Sagaing occurred in 1956, meaning that many buildings were not built with earthquake resilience in mind.
The USGS has projected that between 10,000 and 100,000 people could be affected by the disaster, with economic losses potentially reaching up to 70% of Myanmar’s GDP. Given the scale of destruction, experts suggest that this earthquake could rival the impact of the 7.8-magnitude tremor that struck Turkey and Syria in 2023, which claimed over 50,000 lives and leveled entire cities. As search-and-rescue efforts continue, authorities fear that the true extent of the catastrophe is yet to be realised.
