Rescuers freed four people from collapsed buildings in Myanmar on Monday, the 31st of March, following Friday’s powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 1 700 people. Hundreds of people are still missing, and frantic search and rescue efforts continue on Monday in both Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand, according to Reuters and the British broadcaster BBC.
The epicentre of Friday’s earthquake was near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, and it caused massive devastation in Myanmar.
Neighbouring Thailand also experienced damage. The death toll in the Thai capital Bangkok has risen to 18.
Although rescue efforts have been ongoing since Friday and international aid is starting to arrive, there has been a delay in reaching the hardest hit areas, so local people are trying to rescue survivors on their own.
Myanmar citizens rescuing his own people with bare hands with no equipments .Real life heroes we are seeing right now.#Myanmar #earthquake #earthquakemyanmar #HelpMyanmarNow pic.twitter.com/fHfDLPsC4f
— Justaspammerfr (@nyar_khant59059) March 29, 2025
The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that the country’s hospitals were overflowing with wounded people, while a World Food Programme spokesman told the BBC that thousands of displaced people lacked food, shelter and medicine.
A teacher in Mandalay told the BBC on Sunday that she was not sure whether the city had received aid. “[We are] told that rescuers are coming, but people are still suffering,” she said. Meanwhile, an acquaintance from the nearby town of Sagaing said she could feel the stench of dead bodies in the streets.
An elderly woman was rescued after spending 36 hours under rubble in Myanmar’s capital on Saturday evening. Twenty-nine people were also rescued from a collapsed apartment block in Mandalay, the local fire authority said on Sunday.
In Myanmar, state media reported that at least 1 700 people had been confirmed dead by Sunday. The Wall Street Journal, citing the ruling military junta, reported that the death toll in Myanmar had reached 2 028.
THE AFTERSHOCKS IN THE REGION HAVE BEEN ONGOING SINCE FRIDAY. A MAGNITUDE 5.1 EARTHQUAKE WAS RECORDED NORTH-WEST OF MANDALAY ON SUNDAY.
In Bangkok, where the soft soil made the aftershocks even stronger, an unfinished high-rise building collapsed, burying many people working on the site and 76 workers are still being searched for.
Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Sunday that rescuers had spotted signs of life under the rubble at the scene, but warned that they were faint.
“Anomalies” have been found in the steel used in the building’s construction and samples have been taken for testing, Thailand’s industry minister told the media on Sunday.
Several countries are sending aid to Myanmar after the earthquake. China sent an 82-member rescue team, while Hong Kong sent 51 rescuers on Sunday. India sent a relief plane with a rescue team and equipment, and Malaysia sent a 50-strong team. Other countries including the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Ireland, South Korea, Russia and New Zealand are also providing support.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy pledged 10 million pounds to help those most in need.
The US pledged two million US dollars “through humanitarian organisations based in Myanmar”. An emergency response team from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which has seen its spending significantly cut by the Trump administration, is being sent to Myanmar, the statement said.
Earthquake sum up 3pm (Mynamar/Thailand)– 7.7 quake hit near Mandalay/Myanmar– Hundreds of homes collapsed (various Myanmar cities)– Strong shocks in Thailand + multiple building collapse in Bangkok– USGS predicts thousands of people dead
(Bangkok clips from social media:) pic.twitter.com/kJodTn6BIg
— Florian Witulski (@vaitor) March 28, 2025
#Myanmar 🇲🇲: a road south of the city of #Mandalay has been completely destroyed in the earthquake. pic.twitter.com/byy1H3uDEA
— Thomas van Linge (@ThomasVLinge) March 28, 2025
🚨🇲🇲DEVASTATION IN SAGAING: AFTERMATH OF RAVAGING EARTHQUAKE IN MYANMAR
Crumbled buildings, shattered roads, and desperate residents searching for survivors define Sagaing City after the devastating earthquake.
The quake’s shallow depth of just 10 kilometers intensified the… https://t.co/SXpDP522C6 pic.twitter.com/yXSPnXQoXh
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 28, 2025
The earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand was so powerful that unleashed energy equivalent to 334 atomic bombs.pic.twitter.com/2AWEhENe1r
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) March 31, 2025
The earthquake has further complicated life in Myanmar, which is already experiencing civil war. The war started after the military seized power in 2021, overthrowing the elected government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Meanwhile, the conflict continues, which has devastated the economy, displaced more than 3.5 million people and weakened the health system.
Myanmar’s ruling military junta has continued to bomb parts of the country affected by civil war. The UN described these attacks as “totally outrageous and unacceptable”. Singapore’s Foreign Minister called for an immediate ceasefire to facilitate rescue efforts.
Critical infrastructure including bridges, highways, airports and railways have been damaged across the country of 55 million people, slowing the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The people of Myanmar may suffer again when the monsoon season begins in May, which is likely to bring heavy downpours and flooding, as it did last year.