A 7.7 magnitude earthquake, the strongest in Myanmar in over a century, has claimed 2,719 lives as of Tuesday, April 1, 2025, with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing warning that the toll could exceed 3,000.
During a television report, he stated that there had been 4,521 injuries and 441 people reported missing. The earthquake struck on Friday at lunchtime, causing extensive damage to pagodas and buildings. Aid organizations are now emphasizing the urgent need for shelter, food, water, and medical care, but the ongoing civil war in the country poses a significant threat to relief efforts.
🌍 7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes Myanmar & Thailand
• 150+ dead, toll rising
• 6.4 Aftershock compounds damage
• Bangkok building collapse kills 8
• Rescue ops underway
Read Full Story: https://t.co/BIwbhkJd8n#earthquake #Myanmar #Bangkok #Myanmarquake pic.twitter.com/XJ9aU5cmtK
— Photo News (@PhotoNewsPk) March 28, 2025In Mandalay, near the epicentre, 50 children and two teachers died in a preschool collapse, per UNOCHA. “Communities lack basics like clean water while teams race to save lives,” the UN noted. The IRC echoed this, saying fear of aftershocks drives people to sleep on roads. Myanmar’s 2021 coup-fueled conflict complicates aid, with rebels alleging junta airstrikes post-quake. Amnesty’s Joe Freeman urged, “The military must allow unimpeded aid access with no delays.”
Authorities in Myanmar have held a minute of silence to honour the victims of a catastrophic earthquake that killed more than 2,700 people, including 50 children at one preschool near the city of Mandalay.
🔗: https://t.co/umogcvDrkw pic.twitter.com/laKTKQ8Wsk
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 1, 2025Thailand’s Rescue Efforts Fade
Across the border, Bangkok rescuers hunt for survivors in a fallen skyscraper four days on. “We’ve got 70 bodies down there hoping for a miracle,” volunteered Bin Bunluerit. Scanners spotted six figures but no signs of life, per Deputy Governor Tavida Kamolvej. Multinational teams, including U.S. and Israeli experts, push on as Thailand’s toll hits 20, with 13 confirmed dead and 74 missing at the site. Substandard steel is under scrutiny.
Read: Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Climbs to 1,700
Rescue efforts intensified three days after a massive earthquake in Southeast Asia that killed at least 2,000 people. Survivors were pulled out of rubble in Myanmar and signs of life were detected in the ruins of a skyscraper in Bangkok https://t.co/wkgkzwlCE8 pic.twitter.com/yjRnkuJ0mu
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 1, 2025Damaged roads and junta-controlled networks stall Myanmar’s relief efforts. Bangkok’s regional summit looms April 3-4, possibly with Min Aung Hlaing joining remotely. As hope dims in Thailand and aid falters in Myanmar, this quake tests resilience amid chaos.
