A devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar’s Mandalay region on Friday, resulting in significant casualties and widespread destruction. As of Saturday, the State Administration Council reported 1,644 fatalities, 3,408 injuries, and 139 individuals still missing.
The earthquake’s epicenter was approximately 20 kilometers from Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city with a population of 1.5 million. The tremors caused extensive damage to infrastructure, including the collapse of buildings, bridges, and temples. Notably, historical sites such as the Mandalay Palace and the Mahamuni Pagoda suffered significant structural harm.
In response to the disaster, the National Disaster Management Committee declared a state of emergency across several regions: Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, the northeastern part of Shan State, the capital Nay Pyi Taw, and Bago. Rescue operations are ongoing, with international relief efforts being mobilized to address the urgent needs of the affected populations.
Public hospitals in Sagaing, Mandalay, and Nay Pyi Taw have issued urgent appeals for blood donations as they manage the influx of injured patients. Rescue teams continue to search for survivors amid reports of individuals trapped under the rubble of collapsed structures.
The earthquake disrupted essential services, causing power supply failures and mobile network outages, leaving parts of Yangon without communication signals. Key roads linking Mandalay and Yangon have been damaged or blocked, and airports in Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw were temporarily closed, leading to flight cancellations.
The tremors were felt in neighboring countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and southwest China. In Thailand, authorities reported 10 deaths, 42 injuries, and 78 individuals missing in Bangkok. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra declared a state of emergency in the capital.
India has initiated “Operation Brahma” to assist Myanmar in the aftermath of the earthquake. Under this operation, India dispatched two naval ships and deployed a 118-member army field hospital to provide immediate medical assistance to the injured. Additionally, approximately 15 tonnes of relief materials, including tents, sleeping bags, blankets, ready-to-eat meals, water purifiers, solar lamps, generator sets, and essential medicines, were sent to Yangon via an Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft.
The international community continues to rally support for Myanmar as rescue and relief efforts persist in the wake of this catastrophic event.
