Massive Myanmar earthquake. Hundreds feared dead.

A strong 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck in central Myanmar, formerly Burma, earlier today (overnight by clocks in the Americas). In Bangkok, hundreds of miles from the quake’s epicenter, an unfinished high-rise building collapsed with at least 81 construction workers inside (see the video above). Meanwhile, the epicenter was located 10 miles (16 km) northwest of the city of Sagaing in Myanmar, an important religious and monastic center, with numerous Buddhist monasteries. The BBC reports that:

Myanmar has been in political turmoil since a military junta seized power in a 2021 coup. Getting information on the ground is difficult.

But hundreds are feared dead in Myanmar with ‘enormous damage.’

Aftershocks are ongoing at this writing (11 UTC on March 28).

A BBC reporter in Bangkok witnessed the building collapse. 

Read more – with updates – from the BBC.

The Irish Mirror reported that, following the collapse of an unfinished building in Bangkok, people “struggled to stand up.” The collapse followed a huge 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar, which happened at 1:20 UTC this morning (8:20 p.m. CDT on March 27), according to USGS.

Bottom line: The strong 7.7-magnitude Myanmar earthquake led to the collapse of an unfinished high-rise building in Bangkok, with at least 70 construction workers inside, earlier today.

The post Massive Myanmar earthquake. Hundreds feared dead. first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/R1UPgYw

A strong 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck in central Myanmar, formerly Burma, earlier today (overnight by clocks in the Americas). In Bangkok, hundreds of miles from the quake’s epicenter, an unfinished high-rise building collapsed with at least 81 construction workers inside (see the video above). Meanwhile, the epicenter was located 10 miles (16 km) northwest of the city of Sagaing in Myanmar, an important religious and monastic center, with numerous Buddhist monasteries. The BBC reports that:

Myanmar has been in political turmoil since a military junta seized power in a 2021 coup. Getting information on the ground is difficult.

But hundreds are feared dead in Myanmar with ‘enormous damage.’

Aftershocks are ongoing at this writing (11 UTC on March 28).

A BBC reporter in Bangkok witnessed the building collapse. 

Read more – with updates – from the BBC.

The Irish Mirror reported that, following the collapse of an unfinished building in Bangkok, people “struggled to stand up.” The collapse followed a huge 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar, which happened at 1:20 UTC this morning (8:20 p.m. CDT on March 27), according to USGS.

Bottom line: The strong 7.7-magnitude Myanmar earthquake led to the collapse of an unfinished high-rise building in Bangkok, with at least 70 construction workers inside, earlier today.

The post Massive Myanmar earthquake. Hundreds feared dead. first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/R1UPgYw