A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed.
The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock.
The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times — was not yet clear.
Photo: Bloomberg
Myanmar’s government said blood was in high demand in the hardest-hit areas. Images of buckled and cracked roads and damaged highways as well as the collapse of a bridge and dam raised further concerns about how rescuers would even reach some areas in a country already enduring a widespread humanitarian crisis.
Near Bangkok’s popular Chatuchak market, a 33-story building under construction, with a crane on top, crumpled into a cloud of dust, and onlookers could be seen screaming and running in a video posted on social media.
The sound of sirens echoed throughout central Bangkok and vehicles filled the streets, leaving some of the city’s already congested streets gridlocked. The elevated rapid transit system and subway were shut down.
Photo: AP
While the area where the quake struck is prone to earthquakes, they are usually not so big and it is rare for them to be felt in the Thai capital.
In Bangkok, a construction worker was killed when rubble from the collapsing building site hit his truck and another was crushed by the falling debris, rescue worker Songwut Wangpon said.
Thai Minister of Defense Phumtham Wechayachai said three people were killed at the site and 90 were missing. He offered no more details about the ongoing rescue efforts, but first responders said that seven people had been rescued so far from the area.
Photo: AP
In Taipei, President William Lai (賴清德) wrote on Facebook that he has asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to contact its offices in Myanmar and Thailand to look into the extent of the damage and see whether any Taiwanese would require assistance.
Lai said he is praying that there would be minimal damage in both countries, adding that if necessary, Taiwan would be willing to provide assistance.
Taiwanese nationals in Myanmar can call 209-257-257-575, and those in Thailand can call 081-666-4006 for assistance, Lai said.
Photo: AP
The Ministry of the Interior said that the National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort.
The teams comprise of 120 search and rescue personnel, including five doctors, one veterinarian, seven nurses, six search and rescue dogs, and 15 tonnes of disaster relief equipment, it said.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said the city is prepared to deploy its disaster response team, as Kaohsiung has six disaster search and rescue dogs that have received International Rescue Dog Organization (IRO) certification, and the city this month is the designated city for overseas rescue dog deployment.
Photo: Screen grab from the National Fire Agency’s Facebook page
Meanwhile, the Shin Kong Wu Ho Su Memorial Hospital said it would donate US$100,000 to support disaster relief efforts in Myanmar.
Additional reporting by Su Yung-yao, Wang Jung-hsiang and Chiu Chih-jou
Photo: AP
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
The Philippines yesterday criticized a “high-risk” maneuver by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea — has been a flash point between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Taiwan also claims the shoal. Monday’s encounter took place approximately 11.8 nautical miles (22km) southeast” of the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has criticized as destabilizing. “The Chinese frigate BN 554 was
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer began talks with high-ranking Chinese officials in Switzerland yesterday aiming to de-escalate a dispute that threatens to cut off trade between the world’s two biggest economies and damage the global economy. The US delegation has begun meetings in Geneva with a Chinese delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰), Xinhua News Agency said. Diplomats from both sides also confirmed that the talks have begun, but spoke anonymously and the exact location of the talks was not made public. Prospects for a major breakthrough appear dim, but there is
RSS