A catastrophic 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar on March 28, 2025, at 12:50 PM local time, unleashing chaos near Mandalay and sending tremors across Southeast Asia, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Initial reports suggest buildings collapsed in Mandalay, including a historic mosque, with significant casualties feared, while the quake’s reach toppled a skyscraper in Bangkok, per Reuters.
The epicenter hit 16 kilometers northwest of Sagaing, just 17 kilometers from Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city with 1.2 million residents. The shallow quake, at a depth of 10 kilometers, triggered widespread destruction, with early estimates from the USGS indicating that over 2.8 million people experienced severe shaking.
In Mandalay, videos circulating online show buckled roads, shattered pagodas, and panicked crowds fleeing collapsing structures. The New York Times reports that emergency services are overwhelmed, with initial accounts suggesting at least dozens of deaths, though exact figures remain unconfirmed.
Hundreds of miles away in Bangkok, Thailand, a skyscraper under construction crumpled, trapping workers and killing at least two, with rescue efforts ongoing. Reuters notes that the collapse, 637 miles from the epicenter, stunned a city unaccustomed to such seismic jolts.
Myanmar’s military junta declared a state of emergency across six regions, including Mandalay and Naypyidaw, as power outages and severed communication lines hampered response efforts. France 24 highlights the rare move by the isolated regime to request international aid, signaling the crisis’s severity.
Thailand swiftly followed, designating Bangkok a disaster area after the skyscraper collapse and reports of cracked buildings and swaying high-rises. The Guardian describes water sloshing from rooftop pools, a surreal scene in a city far from the quake’s origin.
The earthquake’s reach defied expectations, with tremors rattling Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, and Malaysia, where Penang residents felt high-rise buildings sway. “I’ve lived here eight years and never felt anything like this,” one Penang local told The Star, capturing the shock of a quake felt over 1,400 kilometers away.
In India, Kolkata and Imphal reported mild shaking, while Hanoi and Dhaka logged similar disturbances, amplifying the event’s regional footprint. Hindustan Times notes that India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged support, saying, “We stand ready to assist.”
A 6.4-magnitude aftershock struck 12 minutes later, centered south of Sagaing, rattling survivors and complicating rescue operations. The USGS warns that aftershocks could persist for days, threatening already weakened structures across Myanmar.
The USGS issued a red alert, predicting high casualties and economic losses potentially reaching 2–30% of Myanmar’s GDP, a staggering blow to an already fragile economy. The Watchers underscores the quake’s classification as a “major event,” with landslides and liquefaction adding to the chaos in Myanmar’s hilly terrain.
This isn’t Myanmar’s first seismic disaster—a 6.8-magnitude quake in Bagan killed three in 2016—but the March 28 event dwarfs past incidents in scale and impact. Its origins lie in Myanmar’s volatile tectonic setting, where the Indian Plate subducts beneath the Burma Plate, driving relentless seismic activity.
Seismologists point to the Sagaing Fault, a major strike-slip fault slicing through central Myanmar, as the likely culprit. This fault, where crustal blocks slide horizontally past each other, unleashed the quake’s devastating energy, a mechanism detailed by the USGS.
The quake’s shallow depth—just 10 kilometers below the surface—intensified the shaking near Mandalay and allowed seismic waves to radiate far beyond the epicenter. Unlike deeper quakes that dissipate energy underground, this shallow focus acted like a megaphone, amplifying the destruction, experts say.
Three types of seismic waves—P-waves, S-waves, and surface waves—propagate during quakes, but surface waves are the key to this event’s vast reach. Generated by the Sagaing Fault’s strike-slip motion, these waves travel along the Earth’s surface, causing the most shaking and carrying energy over long distances.
Dr. Susan Hough, a USGS seismologist, explained to Associated Press that “a magnitude 7.7 at this depth releases massive energy, and strike-slip faults excel at producing far-reaching surface waves.” Her analysis underscores why Bangkok, over 600 miles away, felt the quake’s wrath, a rare but not unprecedented phenomenon.
Regional geology amplified the effect, with sedimentary basins—like the Chao Phraya Basin beneath Bangkok—acting as natural resonators for seismic waves. These soft, low-velocity layers trap and magnify energy, turning a distant tremor into a destructive force, a process well-documented in seismic studies.
Historical parallels exist: the 2001 Bhuj quake in India, also 7.7 magnitude, was felt 700 kilometers away, though its deeper focus limited its reach compared to Myanmar’s shallow event. The March 28 quake’s combination of magnitude, depth, and fault type created a perfect storm, sending waves racing across Southeast Asia.
In Penang, the swaying of high-rises reflects how modern buildings, often on soft soil, amplify low-frequency surface waves. The Star reports residents fleeing in panic, a scene echoed in Bangkok’s shattered construction site.
Bangkok’s skyscraper collapse exposes a grim reality: even distant cities aren’t immune when seismic waves align with vulnerable infrastructure. The Guardian warns that this could prompt a rethink of building codes in Thailand and beyond.
Secondary hazards now loom large, with the USGS flagging landslides in Myanmar’s rugged Sagaing region and liquefaction in its soft-soil plains. These threats could bury villages and destabilize roads, slowing aid to a nation already reeling from civil war and poverty.
India’s aid pledge offers hope, but Myanmar’s junta faces a logistical nightmare, with power outages and conflict zones obstructing relief efforts. Hindustan Times notes that international teams are mobilizing, though access remains a hurdle.
The economic toll could deepen Myanmar’s woes, with analysts fearing a recovery setback amid ongoing strife. The Watchers estimates losses in the billions, a burden that could linger for years.
For survivors, the immediate focus is rescue and shelter, with aftershocks keeping communities on edge. In Mandalay and Bangkok, teams dig through rubble, racing against time to save those trapped beneath the wreckage.
This quake lays bare Earth’s raw power and humanity’s fragility in its path, a stark reminder of nature’s indifference to borders. Its effects—felt from Naypyidaw to Penang—demand a regional reckoning on preparedness and resilience.
As the full scope of the tragedy unfolds, one truth emerges: Southeast Asia must act now to brace for the next inevitable jolt. Governments and citizens alike face a critical test—turn grief into action, or risk repeating this disaster’s toll.
