Bangor man helps school children flee deadly quake

Robb Falls and his partner Rebecca Root managed to escape unharmed

A man from Bangor, County Down, has described how he had to evacuate children from their primary school as tremors from the Myanmar earthquake struck in Bangkok.

At least 144 people have died and hundreds are injured in Myanmar following the 7.7 magnitude quake.

Dozens are feared trapped in their high-rise buildings in the capital of Thailand, hundreds of miles from the epicentre, and an unfinished high-rise has collapsed with 81 construction workers unaccounted for.

Robb Falls and his girlfriend Rebecca Root, who was at home, managed to escape unharmed.

'Chaos and uncertainty'

Mr Falls, who works at a school, said the classroom "started spinning and wobbling" on Friday.

"It was a bit mad really... the blinds were shaking, I didn't really understand what was going on," he told BBC News NI.

"It was hard to stay steady on your feet to get the kids out to safety."

Mr Falls, who is a special educational needs support teacher, said some of the pupils were quite upset, meaning he had to "act quite cool" and "play it down" as he escorted them from the school building.

Once outside, "the whole ground felt a bit off," he explained, likening it to stepping off from a boat onto land.

It was "hard to get your bearings," he explained.

Meanwhile, his partner, freelance journalist Rebecca Root, was working from home on the ninth floor of a high-rise building.

Ms Root said she could "feel a sway" and noticed the light fixtures moving.

"I immediately got on the ground and could hear crashes from outside," she said.

Following her neighbours, Rebecca explained that she fled the building barefoot as glass and plaster fell from the ceiling.

"I just tried to get downstairs as soon as possible," she said.

The couple's home was damaged in the quake

The couple are staying at a nearby hotel and are unsure if they can return to their home as it has suffered "massive structural damage".

"We will try and work things out tomorrow," Mr Falls added.

The city currently has an "atmosphere of chaos and uncertainty", Ms Root explained, with public transport suspended, crowds of people walking and gridlocked roads.

For now, the couple said they are "just grateful to be okay".

The total number of people killed and injured by the earthquake is expected to rise in the coming days.

The earthquake struck near Mandalay, which has a population of about 1.5 million people.

A second quake struck 12 minutes after the first, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), with a magnitude of 6.4 and its epicentre was 18km (11.1 miles) south of Sagaing.

Bangkok is located more than 1,300km (807 miles) from the centre of the quake.

"I couldn't imagine feeling a stronger earthquake… To hear that we were so far away [from Mandalay], I can't imagine what it was like for those in the epicentre," Ms Root added.

Seismic activity detected in Ireland

The earthquake was the highest magnitude earthquake anywhere in the world this year and was also stronger in terms of magnitude than any recorded in 2024.

Tremors were felt in countries neighbouring Myanmar, including Thailand, India and south-west China.

The quake was also detected by seismic instruments stationed in the Republic of Ireland, Irish broadcaster RTÉ has reported.

Seismograms shared by the Irish National Seismic Network showed activity shortly after 07:00 local time at stations across the country.