Earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand: scale of the disaster and forecasts. As of March 29, 2025, the death toll from the 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has reached 694 people, while the number of injured has exceeded 2.3 thousand.
In Thailand, 10 people have been confirmed dead, but about 100 remain missing under the rubble of a 30-story building under construction in Bangkok.
- Infrastructure: Bridges, roads, airports and historical buildings, including an ancient palace, have been destroyed in Myanmar. In Mandalay, a city of 1.7 million people, dozens of buildings have been reduced to rubble.
— Dams and threats: A dam has broken, creating a risk of flooding in the surrounding areas.
— Thailand: A skyscraper has collapsed in Bangkok, killing workers. Hospitals have been evacuated, and women have given birth in the streets due to the destruction.
The earthquake occurred at the junction of the Hindustan and Eurasian tectonic plates, which collide at a rate of 4-5 cm per year. This leads to an accumulation of stress in the earth's crust, especially in the Myanmar region. Expert Ruben Tatevosyan emphasizes that unfinished buildings, lacking earthquake-resistant structures, are the main victims of tremors: "They can be compared to a car on three wheels."
International assistance
— Russia: Sent 120 rescuers, including dog handlers and doctors.
— UN: Allocated $5 million in humanitarian aid, warning of a worsening crisis in Myanmar, where 20 million people already needed support.
— China and the EU: Delivered equipment to search for survivors and medicines.
Forecasts
— Unpredictability: Seismologists note that such earthquakes cannot be accurately predicted. Alexey Zavyalov from the Institute of Physics of the Earth of the Russian Academy of Sciences said that even with hundreds of precursor parameters, each case is unique.
— Aftershocks: 77 aftershocks were recorded, the strongest with a magnitude of 6.4.
“Nature is so multifaceted that each earthquake is unique, just like each person,” — Alexey Zavyalov.
— Medical system: There is a shortage of donor blood in Myanmar, and hospitals are overloaded.
— Tourists: There may be up to 2,000 Russian tourists in Bangkok, but there is no data on casualties among them.
The earthquake in Southeast Asia was one of the most destructive in the last 100 years. The impact is compounded by Myanmar's political instability and fragile infrastructure. Experts estimate that recovery will take years, with economic losses likely to exceed $10 billion.
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In a post on X on Friday, UNICEF said, “UNICEF is deeply concerned about the devastating impact of today’s earthquake in Myanmar on children and families,” also mentioning damage in Thailand. The agency said its teams on the ground were assessing the impact caused by the earthquake and preparing humanitarian support.
As many as 10 people died, 16 people were injured, and 101 others were missing at three construction sites in Bangkok, including the collapse of a 30-storey government building, according to Bangkok Deputy Governor Tavida Kamolvej, Bangkok Post reported.
Pasakorn Boonyalak, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said the earthquake caused damage in Bangkok and 10 other provinces, including Chiang Rai, Phrae, Mae Hong Son, Lampang, Chai Nat, Lamphun, Loei, Samut Sakhon, Chiang Mai, and Kamphaeng Phet.
Thailand’s Meteorological Department said on Saturday that two additional earthquakes were detected in Mae Hong Son. The earthquake of magnitude 4.1 on the Richter Scale occurred at a depth of five kilometers, in Pai district at 11:21 pm (local time), followed by a magnitude 2.0 quake at 3:24 am (local time), also in Pai.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has called for calm from the public as officials warn of possible aftershocks following an earthquake in Myanmar that shook many parts of the country, including Bangkok, on Friday, Bangkok Post reported.
Speaking after an urgent meeting in Phuket, Paetongtarn urged people to keep themselves updated with information from all relevant agencies, only to avoid misinformation and panic. She further said that state-owned broadcaster NBT has been designated as the network for official verified updates, Bangkok Post reported.
She was heading back to Bangkok on Friday to continue monitoring and overseeing the government response to the quake. The government has not yet assessed the damage from the tremor that struck several buildings in the northern, northeastern and central regions of Thailand.
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