On Friday, March 27, at 12:50 p.m. local time, a devastating earthquake struck Myanmar. The 7.7-magnitude shock happened near Mandalay and rippled throughout Southeast Asia and China. The effects have been catastrophic; the death toll is at least 2,000 people, with many more missing.
We likely won’t know the full effects of what is happening in Myanmar, as there is limited information coming from the country because it’s in the middle of a civil war. What we do know, however, is that Myanmar lies on the eastern end of the Alpide Belt, one of the world’s most active seismic zones. Twenty million people are without proper food and shelter, and there are reports of pagodas being toppled and Buddhist monasteries and monuments reduced to rubble.
The ripple effects have also brought destruction to neighboring countries. One of the most well-known events is the collapse of a high-rise building still under construction in Bangkok, Thailand. The collapse killed 11 people, and about 75 are still unaccounted for as of Sunday, March 30.
Thanks to social media, we can see firsthand how disorienting and scary this is. In Bangkok, users on TikTok have shared surreal sights of entire Olympic-sized pools sloshing back and forth as if they weigh nothing. Water sprays from the sides, trailing down the buildings. It shows the immense power of nature—and how, ultimately, we are powerless against it.
Despite the devastation, humans have proven they are resilient in the face of danger and seemingly overwhelming challenges. While there are many stories of this, one that has gone viral involves the Police General Hospital team in Bangkok. A surgeon, Dr. Toey, and his team were performing a surgery as the earthquake began. They decided to move the patient to a safer place and knew they needed to continue with the surgery to minimize health risks. That safe place was outdoors, where they completed the rest of the surgery in just 10 minutes.
If you would like to help the people impacted by the Myanmar earthquakes, visit the International Rescue Committee and the International Federation of Red Cross to donate. Both organizations are working on the ground to meet the staggering humanitarian needs.
On Friday, March 27, a devastating earthquake struck Myanmar. The 7.7 magnitude shock was felt in Southeast Asia and China.
Watch on TikTok
Social media users in Bangkok, Thailand, captured what it was like to experience the earthquake.
The death count of the earthquake is now over 2,000 people, with many more still missing.
Watch on TikTok
Despite the devastation, humans have proven they're resilient in the face of danger and seemingly overwhelming challenges—like the surgical team who completed a person's surgery outside after the earthquake…
…and the nurses who clung on to newborn babies to keep them safe.
Sources: In Bangkok, Looking at High-Rises With a New Sense of Dread; Myanmar Earthquake Toll Surpasses 1,600 Dead Amid Search for Survivors; Earthquake Devastates Myanmar’s Cultural Sites; Search for quake survivors intensifies in Myanmar, Thailand; death toll exceeds 2,000
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