A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.7, followed by a second shock of magnitude 6.4 after 12 minutes, hit the center of the Myanmar And thousands of victims are feared. The epicenter, according to the geosismic experts, is located near Saigang, an area crossed by a large seismic fault that crosses the country from north to south, about 20 kilometers from the historic city of Mandalay, the ancient pre -Colonial capital and the second city of Myanmar, located along the banks of the Irwaddy river. In Mandalay, an iron bridge collapsed and the city, rich in temples, pagodas and historical monuments, has been devastated.
On some social networks, images of destroyed buildings and ruins have appeared, with a temporary balance of at least 25 deaths, including numerous children, due to the collapse of a mosque. Many little ones are under the rubble. “Thousands of victims are feared, it is impossible to contact your family members because of the interruption of communications” confirms Caritas, highlighting that all the operators and operators of Kmss, Caritas Myanmar, “I am safe, but some of the houses where they live, in the diocese of Mandalay, have collapsed. Telecommunications are limited. still dispersed “.
The main shock, which occurred just 10 kilometers of depth at 14:20 local time (07:50 Italian), also had devastating effects in Chinain the remote province of Yunnan, and in Thailand. In Bangkok, about a thousand kilometers from the epicenter, a 30 -storey skyscraper collapsed, with dozens of workers who remained buried under the rubble (estimates vary from 43 to 80 dispersed people) and at least 4 confirmed victims. The earthquake also generated tremors in Laos and Vietnam. According to the Italian Geosismic Institute (IGV), the main shock was 300 times more powerful than that which affected Amatrice in 2016. Always in 2016, Myanmar had suffered a similar earthquake, which caused the death of three people and serious structural damage.
There military junta who governs Myanmar from the 2021 coup made a urgent appeal to the international community to receive humanitarian aida rare gesture for a military government, which suggests the breadth of the tragedy in an impoverished and isolated country, marked by armed conflicts. India was among the first countries to offer support, also extending its assistance to Thailand. The news on the victims, who are afraid very serious, come slowly, complicated by the difficulties of communication in the country. In response, the junta declared the state of emergency in six provinces: Sagaing, Mandalay, Bago, Magway and in the eastern state of Shan. The leader of the junta, Min Aung Hlaing, visited the main hospital of the capital Naypyidaw, where numerous injured have accumulated, many of whom assisted by family members while lying on the ground outside the emergency room.
“The damage is imposing” The confirmation of Angelo Conti of the Torinese Medacross NGO, active in Myanmar’s NGO: “Talking to those in affected areas is difficult, it is already difficult to communicate normally. A 7.7 earthquake is like the one that hit Turkey and Syria in 2023, destroys the houses. We are equipping ourselves with the mobile clinics that we have on the spot and local partners to give medical assistance”. The Italian NGO Cesvi, which has projects started in the country, has reported partial collapses of buildings and damage spread to infrastructures, including the “historic bridge of sagaing” which has collapsed, and the interruption of the main national highway near the city of Mandalay. The most affected region is the Dry Zone, in the center of the town, where about 7 million people live in a radius of 100 kilometers from the epicenter to the west of the city of Mandalay: “Also our Kalaw office, a citizen at about 200km south of Mandalay, reported damage: the staff promptly evacuated the building following the appearance of cracks in the walls. Fortunately, all members are well. Received reassuring news from the almost all of our staff outside Yangon “. At the moment, however, reports Ansa, “apprehension remains high for a team of about six people currently on the field in the Chauk area, in the Magway region, with whom we have not yet managed to restore contacts due to the total interruption of communications. Our efforts to trace them are constant and we continue to monitor the situation minute by minute”.
In Thailandthe Prime Minister of the Lake Shinawatra convened an emergency meeting of the government and declared the state of emergency in Bangkok. The live images of the collapse of the skyscraper under construction were taken from the media, showing scenes of devastation and the balance of at least 4 deaths, while the number of dispersed workers remains uncertain, with estimates that speak of a minimum of 43 and up to 80 people involved. In the nearby Chinese province of Yunnan, on the border with Myanmar, videos show streets full of debris in the city of Ruili, with rescuers engaged in rescue operations.
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