Earthquake in Southeast Asia: over 140 dead, hundreds of injuries
A strong earthquake with strength 7.8 has cost many lives in Southeast Asia. There is also serious damage to buildings. In Myanmar there is also concern that dams on the River Irrawaddy were damaged and could break. According to scientists, there is a realistic danger of other earthquakes in the region. An overview:
The victims
According to the military leader Min Aung Hlaing, at least 144 people died in Myanmar, where the epicenter was located. Over 730 were injured, as the Junta announced on state television.
So far, three deaths have been officially confirmed in neighboring Thailand. According to media reports, up to ten deaths have now been recovered, 101 people are said to be missing in Bangkok alone.
The location in Myanmar
The stronger quake occurred about 50 kilometers east of Monywa in the center of Myanmar. According to media reports, ten people died in the Mandalay east of it, the second largest city in the country with 1.6 million inhabitants.
A rescuer is working on saving people from a collapsed building in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw. Photo: AFP
A monastery collapsed in Taungoo in which displaced people were housed. An old bridge collapsed in Sagaing. Photos also showed damaged historical pagodas in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw. The Red Cross in Myanmar speaks of devastating damage. There is great concern that dams could break on the river Irrawaddy.
Since a military coup in February 2021, the former Burma has already sinked into violence and chaos, various rebel groups are partially fighting against the army. There are little information from the country.
The location in Thailand
In the neighboring Thailand, the shell of a more than 30 floors of high building collapsed in the capital Bangkok after the shocks. Videos on the Internet showed how workers ran away from the collapsing high -rise. Thailand’s Institute for Emergency Medicine reported three dead and 68 injuries. According to media reports, more than 80 workers were missing hours after the quake.
Earthquake shakes southern Italian region of Apulia
Here the earth had lifted for minutes, people in panic left their houses. 17 hospitals in the country’s provinces were damaged, the portal « Nation Thailand » reported, according to the Ministry of Health. Above all, the buildings would have cracks. Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said in the evening (local time) that the damage was limited. People could return to their apartments.
The earthquake
The German Geo -Research Institute (GFZ) in Potsdam recorded a thickness of 7.8 in Myanmar at a depth of around 24 kilometers. The US-earthquake USGS measured the magnitude 7.7 at a depth of ten kilometers. In addition, a few minutes later, both organizations registered a little more south with a thickness of 6.4.
According to the GFZ, the earthquake occurred in the sagaing fault. Here the Indian continental plate and the Eurasian plate move past each other at a speed of about 18 millimeters a year. The geo -research institute explained that tensions are building up again and again – like after a quieter phase that had lasted over almost 70 years. Its experts currently assume a break length of more than 200 kilometers.
Earthquakes in Southeast Asia – what we know and what not
The scientists expected that 6 to 6.5 events can occur in the next few hours to days. « This is a typical process, » said geophysicist Oliver Heidbach from the GFZ of the German Press Agency. There could be achift series that decrease in the number and strength over time. Alternatively, there can be another strong quake. The seismic waves could cause considerable further damage because they hit the buildings that have already been damaged.
According to local media, Thailand’s Prime Minister spoke of a dozen aftershock within a few hours.
Vibrations can also be felt in China and Vietnam
In China, the quake was also clearly felt in the Yunnan province adjacent to Myanmar in Southwest China, as Chinese state television reported. Among other things, the big city of Kunming and the places in Lijiang and Dali popular with tourists were affected.
Disaster protection in the city of Ruili spoke of damage to houses and injuries, as Chinese media reported, citing the authority. A video on the Chinese online platform Weibo, China’s counterpart to the platform X, showed debris on a street in ruili and damage to a house roof. The earthquakes were also felt in the Chinese provinces of Guizhou and Guangxi. From Vietnam, where the earth trembled in the capital Hanoi, no damage became known at first.
The reactions
Myanmar’s Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing said on state television that he had requested help from the international community and other organizations. And he has already allowed India and the Association of Southeast Asian nations, abbreviated Asean, to support helpers in the regions. The emergency was also proclaimed in several regions of Myanmar.
According to its own statements, the EU already supports satellite images and has offered further help.
Often devastating damage
With severe earthquakes like now in Myanmar, the damage is usually devastating. Thousands often die, through the destruction, entire populations lose their home. Asia in particular is always affected. Afghanistan (June 2022), Indonesia (September 2028) and Nepal (May 2015) experience disasters with thousands of dead. The earthquake from March 2011 is particularly devastating in front of the Japanese east coast, which demanded almost 16,000 lives and caused the ancient power plant of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima.
In Pakistan and India, after a quake of 7.6 in October 2005, the strength of 7.6 is counted to 80,000 fatalities, 3.5 million people become homeless. Previously, Christmas 2004 had triggered a strong seaquake on the island of Sumatra huge tsunamis that brought death and destruction to the coasts of the Indian ocean. Estimated 230,000 people died.
