New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28 expressed concern over the earthquakes in Myanmar and Thailand and expressed readiness to offer all possible assistance. “Concerned by the situation in the wake of the Earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand. Praying for the safety and well-being of everyone. India stands ready to offer all possible assistance. In this regard, asked our authorities to be on standby. Also asked the MEA to remain in touch with the Governments of Myanmar and Thailand,” he wrote on social media platform X.
A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday afternoon, with tremors felt in Bangkok and many parts of Thailand, causing hundreds of people to rush out of swaying buildings in Bangkok, as per Thailand local media and eyewitness accounts posted on social media. Several posts on social media showed water splashing out of swimming pools.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said that the earthquake was at a depth of just 10km, with the epicentre near the central city of Mandalay, about 50km east of the city of Monywa. The earthquake at around 11:50 am IST was followed by an aftershock of 6.4-magnitude minutes later. The National Center for Seismology said that an earthquake of magnitude 4.9 on the Richter scale hit Myanmar stating that it was the third aftershock, following the first 7.2 magnitude on the Richter scale
A Bangkok Post report said that people in the Thai capital evacuated buildings as businesses announced temporary closures due to the earthquake. A 30-story skyscraper under construction in Chatuchak district also collapsed due to the quake, according to the publication.
As per The Nation News, which cited Thailand’s National Institute for Emergency Medicine, 43 workers were trapped in the underconstruction building. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra declared Bangkok to be an “area of emergency,” asking residents to evacuate from tall buildings to avoid aftershocks.
CNN reported a resident of Yangon, Myanmar’s commercial hub, around 380 miles away from the epicenter, as saying, “We felt the quake for about one minute, and then we ran out of the building.” “We saw other people running out of the buildings, too. It was very sudden and very strong.”
Another resident was cited in the CNN report as saying that phone networks in the city home to around 8 million people were briefly down following the quake, but were now running again. Video obtained by CNN from Myanmar appeared to show a road bridge spanning the Irrawaddy River, which runs through Mandalay, collapsing into the river in a cloud of dust and water.
China’s state broadcaster CCTV taking feedback of netizens reported that strong tremors were felt across many places in Yunnan Province bordering Myanmar.
The epicenter of this earthquake is located 294 kilometers from the nearest borderline of China, causing strong tremors in Xishuangbanna, Dehong, Kunming, Lijiang, Baoshan, Dali and other areas of Yunnan Province. Tremors were also felt in parts of Guizhou and Guangxi, according to CCTV. (With inputs from ANI)
