This morning at 06:21 GMT, an earthquake of magnitude 7.7 (United States Geological Survey USGS) or 7.8 (Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences GFZ) struck Myanmar, with its epicenter located near Mandalay in the central part of the country (The Guardian, 2025). The tremor was also felt in neighboring countries such as Thailand, India, and China (Myanmar-Now, 2025). It was recorded at a shallow depth of 24 kilometers, followed shortly by an aftershock of magnitude 6.4 (GFZ, 2025). Numerous buildings collapsed.
The military junta ruling the country declared a state of emergency in six regions (Tagesschau, 2025a; Myanmar-Now, 2025). The humanitarian situation is worsening due to the unstable political climate in Myanmar. Amnesty International has urged the Myanmar military junta to “grant unrestricted access to all humanitarian organizations.” Myanmar expert Joe Freeman reports that the full extent of the disaster in Myanmar will likely only become clear in some time, as many media outlets have been banned and internet access restricted (The Guardian, 2025). As a result, current reports are increasingly coming from Thailand. Deaths have been reported both there and in Myanmar, but the exact number of victims remains unclear, The Guardian reports at least 140 dead and 732 injured (The Guardian, 2025: as of 14:40 GMT, 28 March 2025).
Compared to the devastating tsunami 2004 along the coast of several Asian countries, this time there is no such danger to expect, as the earthquake did not occur in the sea and did not reach a comparable magnitude. However, stronger aftershocks cannot be ruled out (Tagesschau, 2025a). Following this disaster in 2004, tsunami early warning systems were established with international assistance. However, the decision to develop earthquake early warning systems lies with the affected countries and is influenced by geological and geophysical factors. In Thailand, Myanmar, and other countries in the Southeast Asian region, these systems are not sufficiently established (Tagesschau, 2025b; The Guardian 2025). The Red Cross in Myanmar also warned of the danger that dams along the Irrawaddy River could have been damaged and may break. The river is a crucial lifeline for Myanmar (Tagesschau, 2025a).
What has now suddenly and unexpectedly occurred is essentially the result of geophysical processes, where tensions from the past 50 years, during which no strong earthquakes occurred in the region, had built up and were now released through the “locking” of the Indian and Eurasian plates at the Sagaing Fault (Tagesschau, 2025b; Myanmar-Now, 2025; GFZ, 2025).
As of March 28, 2025, 04:30 PM GMT
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Tagesschau (2025a): Tote und Verletzte durch schweres Erdbeben. Abgerufen am 28.03.2025 unter: https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/asien/erdbeben-thailand-myanmar-108.html
Tagesschau (2025b): „Frühwarnsysteme für Erdbeben fehlen“. Abgerufen am 28.03.2025 unter: https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/asien/erdbeben-myanmar-thailand-100.html
Helmholz-Zentrum für Geoforschung GFZ (2025): “GFZ Statement: Erdbeben der Stärke Mw 7,8 in Myanmar
“. Abgerufen am 28.03.2025 unter: https://www.gfz.de/presse/meldungen/detailansicht/gfz-statement-erdbebenereignis-myanmar-mw-78
Deutsche Welle DW (2025): Major earthquake hits Myanmar, felt in Bangkok. Abgerufen am 28.03.2025 unter: https://www.dw.com/en/major-earthquake-hits-myanmar-felt-in-bangkok/a-72065550
The Guardian (2025): Thailand and Myanmar earthquake: death toll rises as Bangkok declared disaster area with dozens trapped under skyscraper – live. Abgerufen am 28.03.2025 unter: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/mar/28/myanmar-earthquake-thailand-bangkok-mandalay-latest-news-updates#top-of-blog
Myanmar-Now (2025): Powerful earthquake strikes Myanmar, hitting Sagaing and Mandalay hardest. Abgerufen am 28.03.2025 unter: https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/breaking-7-7-magnitude-earthquake-hits-sagaing-and-mandalay/
(Image Source ©TheGuardian | USGS)