Today's Edition
Bangkok (dpa)
A strong earthquake with its epicentre in Myanmar
shook several countries in southeast Asia on Friday.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit at around 12:50 pm (0620 GMT). Readings from other services have varied.
USGS said the epicentre was about 16 kilometres from the city of
Sagaing in north-western Myanmar.
A few minutes later, the USGS also registered another earthquake a
little to the south with a magnitude of 6.4.
At least 10 people died when a mosque collapsed during a service in
the city of Mandalay in central Myanmar, the Khit Thit Media news
the agency reported, citing rescue workers.
The news agency also reported that a monastery housing displaced
people collapsed in the southern city of Taungoo, killing five
people, including children. Several people are said to still be
trapped, according to eyewitnesses.
Rescue teams reported on social media that several people were also
trapped in a collapsed hotel in Aung Ban, a town near the
earthquake's epicentre.
Quake shakes Thailand
The quake also rattled Thailand's capital Bangkok, where the earth
shook for several minutes and people left their homes in panic,
according to a dpa reporter. Sirens could be heard hours after the
quake struck.
In the Silom district in the centre of the capital, thousands of
people were on the streets, many running.
Volunteers were immediately deployed, instructing people to enter the open and leave the buildings. Patients were brought out of
the hospitals onto the streets.
The shell of a high-rise building in Bangkok collapsed, as shown in
videos circulating online. More than 40 workers are believed to have
been trapped, local media reported, citing rescue workers.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra convened an emergency
meeting during her visit to Phuket Island.
Earthquake felt in Vietnam, India, China, Bangladesh
The tremors were also felt in Vietnam's capital Hanoi, as well as in
parts of India, China and Bangladesh.
Chinese television reported that the quake was felt in the
south-western province of Yunnan, which borders Myanmar, including in
the major city of Kunming and the popular tourist resorts of Lijiang
and Dali.
The disaster control centre in the city of Ruili spoke of damage to
houses and injuries, Chinese media reported, citing the authorities.
A video on the Chinese online platform Weibo, China's equivalent of
X showed debris on a street in Ruili and damage to a house roof. The
earth tremors were also felt in the Chinese provinces of Guizhou and
Guangxi.
In the Indian state of Manipur, which borders Myanmar, The
Economic Times newspaper reported that panic broke out among
residents of the western district of the regional capital Imphal.
However, there were no initial reports of any damage. The tremors
were also felt in Kolkata.
The Daily Star and other Bangladeshi newspapers reported that tremors
were felt in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka. There have so far been
no reports of damage there.
India offers to help quake victims.
India has offered to help earthquake victims in Myanmar and Thailand.
"India stands ready to offer all possible assistance," Modi wrote on
X. He said he has asked "our authorities to be on standby."
Asia is repeatedly affected by earthquakes, which sometimes kill
thousands of people and cause devastating destruction.
An earthquake off the eastern coast of Japan in March 2011 claimed
almost 16,000 lives and caused the accident at the Fukushima nuclear
plant.
More recently, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Nepal have experienced
disasters with thousands of deaths.
EU offers Satellite Help
Commenting on X, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
said the scenes from Myanmar and Thailand are "heartbreaking."
The European Union's Copernicus satellites "are already helping first
responders," she wrote and added that the EU is "ready to provide
more support."
Copernicus is the EU's space observation programme. It has an open
source policy in line with international data-sharing principles, its
website states, and can provide detailed maps of affected areas.
