#BREAKING: 7.7 Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Myanmar
Myanmar Rocked By Massive Quake: 7.7 Magnitude Shakes Region
A powerful earthquake struck Myanmar a few minutes ago, registering a magnitude of 7.7, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The epicenter was located 16 kilometers northwest of Sagaing, near Mandalay, at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, amplifying its impact across a wide area.
Tremors rippled through central Myanmar, shaking buildings as far as Bangkok, Thailand, over 700 kilometers away, where residents reported swaying high-rises and evacuated in droves.
The quake, one of the strongest to hit Myanmar in recent years, follows a 6.9 magnitude event reported minutes earlier by some sources, though details remain fluid. Posts on X suggest a skyscraper under construction in Bangkok collapsed, but official confirmation is pending.
Myanmar’s seismic hotspot status—owing to the Sagaing Fault and its position near the Sunda Megathrust—makes such events frequent, yet this scale is rare. The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) pegged it at 6.9 initially, but USGS data solidified the higher magnitude.
No immediate casualty reports have emerged from Myanmar, where civil war complicates damage assessments. In Bangkok, footage shows panicked crowds spilling onto streets, with water sloshing from pools.
The quake’s shallow depth raises fears of significant structural harm, especially in densely populated Mandalay and Sagaing. Myanmar’s last major quake, a 6.8 in 2016, damaged historic Bagan temples, hinting at potential cultural losses now. As aftershocks loom, authorities brace for updates on this unfolding disaster.
