Two devastating shock shakes Southeast Asia. Thousands of wounded in Burma. A skyscraper under construction collapses in the Thai capital. The budget could worsen.
A violent earthquake of magnitude 7.7 hit Burma today, with an epicenter located about 16 kilometers north-west of sagaing, in the heart of the country. The land trembled at 14:20 local time (07:50 Italian), at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the US Geosismic Institute (USGS).
A few minutes later, a second shock, of magnitude 6.4, hit almost in the same area, south of the city of sagaing. Both SISMI were felt distinctly not only in the Burmese capital Naypyidaw, but also in Mandalay, Bangkok and up to the Chinese province of Yunnan.
Panic scenes and folded cities
In Bangkok, where the shocks were warned with particular strength, a 30 -storey skyscraper has collapsed still under construction. According to Thai medical sources, at least 43 workers are dispersed under the rubble, while a lifeless body has already been recovered. The images of the collapse transmitted live showed a cloud of dust to rise from the city center. Some workers were rescued.
“We declared the state of emergency in the capital,” announced the Thai Prime Minister of the Lake Shinawatra. The Burmese military junta also proclaimed the state of emergency in six regions of the country, launching an urgent appeal to the international community to send humanitarian aid.
The hospital is not enough
In Naypyidaw, the capital of Burma, the situation in hospitals is dramatic. “The injured arrive en masse, the hospital is collapsing,” said a health official. Many patients are treated outside the structure of a thousand beds. “Some were twisted from pain, others were immobile while relatives tried to comfort them,” he said.
In the historic Mandalay, ancient capital and sacred city for Buddhism, serious collapses are recorded in temples and monuments. The images spread from social networks show crumbled spiers, collapsed walls, completely devastated ways.
Red alert: “probable thousands of victims”
The Us Geological Survey has issued a red alert: «It is likely that numerous victims and large damage occur. The disaster could be widespread », reads the official note. The China Earthquake Networks also recorded the earthquake, attributing to it by a magnitude of 7.9. According to the CCTV Chinese state issuer, the shocks were clearly perceived in the province of Yunnan.
Fear has also spread rapidly in the tourist areas of northern Thailand. To Chiang Mai, witnesses tell panic scenes. “I was in bed, I ran out in pajamas,” said Duangjai, a resident.
An active and dangerous fault
Burma is located along the sagaing fault, one of the most active in Southeast Asia. It is the same seismic line that in 2016 caused an earthquake of magnitude 6.8 in Bagan, causing three victims and damaging dozens of historical temples.
At the moment, there is still no definitive budget of the victims. But international and local authorities agree on one point: it is one of the worst natural catastrophes of recent years in the area. Time holds and aid must arrive quickly.
Update 17.00 on Friday 28 March.
Salt a 144 dead and 732 injuries the budget of the victims of the earthquake in Myanmar. This was announced by the head of the junta Min Aung Hlaing who invited “any country, any organization” to come to help the victims.
I am 6.7 million children in the Myanmar areas affected by the earthquake. This is what we read in a note of Save the Children. “The organization is taking action to respond to the emergency and underlines the importance of an immediate intervention of the international community to provide support to the thousands of people who need it, giving priority to children. The two strong earthquakes that affected Myanmar around noon today, local time, have been warned in many parts of the country, including large cities such as Yangon, Mandalay and Citizens of Magway, Sagaing and Shan. The six regions and states affected in Myanmar (Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, Bago, Shan and Naypyiday) host over 28 million peopleincluding about 6.7 million children, “says Save The Children.
The Pope’s message
The Pontiff sent a telegram of condolence for the victims of the earthquake in Southeast Asia, in particular in Myanmar and Thailand, sent on behalf of the Holy Father Francis to the ecclesiastical and civil authorities of both countries: “I am deeply saddened by the loss of lives and the widespread devastation caused by the earthquake in Southeast Asiain particular in Myanmar and Thailand, his holiness Apa Francesco offers heart prayers for the souls of the deceased and the insurance of his spiritual closeness to all those who have been affected by this tragedy. His holiness also prays that the emergency staff is supported in the care of the wounded and displaced by the divine gifts of fortress and perseverance ».
