Summary

Media caption,

Myanmar earthquake: Moment rescuers pull woman alive from rubble

  1. Cracked roads and collapsed buildings captured in Myanmar's capitalpublished at 11:01 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    We've more images to bring you now - this time from Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar's capital, and one of the six areas that's been placed under a state of emergency.

    These are from Myanmar's military regime, and show cracked roads and collapsed buildings.

    Cracks run down a large road, pieces of which have been broken off, while an armed soldier stands at the sceneImage source, Myanmar's military government
    A truck and car partially covered by a collapsed buildingImage source, Myanmar's military government
    A large crack in a roadImage source, Myanmar's military government
  2. Hundreds feared dead in Myanmar and 'enormous damage', rescuer tells BBCpublished at 10:45 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March
    Breaking

    BBC Burmese Service, Yangon

    A member of a rescue team based in Mandalay tells the BBC "the damage is enormous".

    "The number of deaths is also quite high. That's all we can say right now because the rescue efforts are ongoing," they say.

    "The exact number of casualties is not yet known, but it is at least in the hundreds."

  3. In Bangkok, 70 construction workers now missing at site of collapsed buildingpublished at 10:43 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    While the earthquake we're reporting on happened in Myanmar, it was felt in and has heavily affected Thailand, where we're also getting continuous updates.

    In Thailand's capital Bangkok, 70 construction workers are now missing at the site of a collapsed building site, the National Institute for Emergency Medicine in Thailand says - having earlier reported there were 43 people feared missing.

    In a post on Facebook, it adds there were around 320 workers on the site at the time of the collapse, and 20 are trapped in the lift shafts.

    The number of deaths is unclear, and a field hospital has been set up at the scene as rescuers continue to look for survivors.

    We'll bring you more on this when we have it.

  4. Sirens being heard continuously in Myanmar city, witnesses tell BBCpublished at 10:39 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    BBC Burmese Service, Yangon

    As the aftershocks continue, not all of Mandalay's residents have returned home. Some are still on the streets.

    Fire engines and ambulances can be seen moving around the city.

    Witnesses tell the BBC that the sound of emergency vehicles can be heard almost continuously throughout the city.

  5. Watch: Passengers crouch on tarmac at Mandalay airportpublished at 10:36 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    We reported earlier that there was video circulating online, appearing to show people screaming and crouching on the tarmac at an airport in Myanmar.

    That footage - which shows people sat on a runway, before they're ushered away - has now been verified by our colleagues at BBC Verify.

    They've done this by geolocating it to Mandalay International Airport.

    Here's what you can see:

    Media caption,

    People crouch on the tarmac at Mandalay airport

  6. Residents warned over risk of aftershocks within next six hourspublished at 10:25 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    BBC Burmese Service, Yangon

    The military regime said earlier that the earthquake's epicentre was near Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, and that people need to be aware of aftershocks within the next six hours.

    Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, the north-east of Shan State, Bago and the Nay Pyi Taw region have been declared as being under a state of emergency.

    According to witnesses, there are a lot of collapsed buildings including a hotel, bridge, nursery schools, and apartments in Mandalay, Sagaing and in the south of Shan State.

    The Yangon-Mandalay highway has also been damaged in some areas, including the bridges, with some vehicles stranded on the road.

  7. Watch: Bridge in Mandalay collapsed in riverpublished at 10:18 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    The epicentre of the initial earthquake struck near Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city.

    As our last post outlines, the Red Cross says electricity and network lines are down in the area, meaning it's difficult for us to assess the full extent of the damage in the city just now.

    But in the video below, a bridge - or what's left of it - can be seen after it collapsed into a river in Mandalay.

    Media caption,

    Bridge collapses into river in Mandalay, Myanmar

  8. Red Cross response hindered by power outagespublished at 10:04 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    We're hearing from the Red Cross, which reports that its teams are attempting to respond to "significant damage" in Myanmar - but are facing challenges due to a lack of power in the affected areas.

    The humanitarian organisation says electricity and network lines are down in the Mandalay and Sagaing areas.

    Despite this, the Red Cross says it's continuing to gather information on "humanitarian needs" as a result of the damage.

  9. Dramatic images show damaged buildings in Myanmar's second-largest citypublished at 09:56 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    We can bring you more images now from Myanmar, following the earthquakes that occurred there this morning.

    The ones below are from Mandalay, the country's second largest city, and show the extent of the damage done to some buildings.

    Mandalay is not far from the epicentre of the initial earthquake, which has been identified by the US Geological Survey.

    A collapsed multi-storey building, surrounding by other buildings that appear to remain intactImage source, BBC Burmese Service
    People gather in a street, smoke is seen rising in the backgroundImage source, BBC Burmese Service
    People look on at damage to a buildingImage source, BBC Burmese Service
    People search through the rubble of a partly-collapsed single-storey buildingImage source, BBC Burmese Service
  10. State of emergency declared in six regions of Myanmarpublished at 09:47 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March
    Breaking

    The military junta that's ruled Myanmar since a coup in 2021 has declared a state of emergency in the regions of Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, Bago, Easter Shan state and Nay Pyi Taw, according to local media reports.

    A statement we've seen adds that officials will investigate the damages and begin coordinating rescues in affected areas.

    We'll continue to bring you details from on the ground as and when we get them.

  11. 'I felt the earthquake for a long time,' says Yangon residentpublished at 09:25 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    Oliver Slow
    BBC News

    Soe Lwin, in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, said he felt the earthquake for a “long time”.

    However, he said there doesn’t appear to be widespread damage in the downtown area of the former capital.

    He added that residents are worried about the potential for another, bigger earthquake in the coming days.

  12. Roads cracked and buildings damaged in Myanmarpublished at 09:18 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    We can bring you some images now from Nay Pyi Taw, the capital of Myanmar.

    As we mentioned in an earlier post, accessing information from Myanmar is difficult - we're working to find out more.

    A road surrounded by trees. The road is damaged from the earthquake, with part of it sticking up vertically, blocking a laneImage source, Getty Images
    A sign reading "emergency department" is damagedImage source, Getty Images
    A large crack in the ground blocks a four-lane road - people are out of their cars to inspect the damageImage source, Getty Images
  13. Second large earthquake hit Myanmar minutes after firstpublished at 09:10 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    Just 12 minutes after the first earthquake hit Myanmar, another one struck, according to the US Geological Survey.

    The second was a magnitude of 6.4, it records, less than the earlier one of 7.7.

    The epicentre was 18km (11.1 miles) south of Sagaing.

    Map
  14. Dozens missing after building under construction collapsespublished at 08:53 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March
    Breaking

    Forty-three construction workers are missing after the earthquake caused an unfinished 30-storey building in Bangkok to collapse, Thai authorities say.

    Fifty people were inside the building near Chatuchak Park, which is hundreds of miles away from the earthquake's epicentre in Myanmar.

    Seven escaped while 43 others remain trapped, the National Institute for Emergency Medicine said in a Facebook post.

    AFP news agency also reported that 43 people are missing, quoting police.

    "When I arrived to inspect the site, I heard people calling for help, saying help me," Worapat Sukthai, deputy police chief of Bang Sue district, told AFP.

    The building was intended for government offices.

  15. Video shows aftermath of Bangkok building collapsepublished at 08:44 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    Tremors from the earthquake in central Myanmar travelled as far as Bangkok in neighbouring Thailand.

    In the Thai capital, rescuers are searching the rubble after a large building collapsed.

    Media caption,

    Myanmar earthquake: Aftermath of building collapse in Bangkok

  16. Why updates from Myanmar are difficult to getpublished at 08:38 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    Myanmar has been ruled by a military junta since a coup in 2021, making access to information difficult. The state controls almost all of local radio, television, print and online media.

    Internet use is also restricted.

    Communication lines also appear to be down as the BBC has been unable to get through to aid agencies on the ground.

  17. Tense scenes at Mandalay airportpublished at 08:34 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    We have monitored unverified video from Mandalay airport in Myanmar, apparently taken shortly after the powerful earthquake struck.

    It showed people screaming and crouched on the ground of the tarmac, with a jetliner in the background.

    Voices can be heard saying: "Sit down! Don't run!"

    The BBC is working to gather information from Myanmar and verify footage shared online.

  18. What we know so farpublished at 08:14 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    The earthquake

    • A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake has struck central Myanmar, according to the US Geological Survey
    • The epicentre was 16km (10 miles) north-west of the city of Sagaing, at a depth of 10km, the USGS says
    • Strong tremors were felt hundreds of miles away in Thailand and south-west China

    The damage

    • Buildings have been damaged in Bangkok, and roads have buckled in Myanmar’s capital, Nay Pyi Taw
    • Buildings in Bangkok aren’t usually designed to withstand earthquakes, so the damage could be significant

    Government response

    • The Thai government is holding an emergency meeting

    We're working to gather more information from Myanmar, so stay with us for the latest updates.

  19. 'I was very panicked', says Bangkok residentpublished at 08:03 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    Damage in BangkokImage source, Reuters

    Bui Thu, a BBC journalist who lives in Bangkok, tells the BBC World Service’s Newsday programme that she was at home cooking when the initial quake happened.

    “I was very nervous, I was very panicked,” she says. “I didn’t know what it was because it has been, I think a decade since Bangkok had a really strong or powerful earthquake like this."

    “In my apartment I just see some cracking on the walls and water splashed out of swimming pools and people just yelling.”

    Following an aftershock, she, along with a lot of other people, ran out into the street.

    “We were just trying to wrap our heads around what’s going on," she says.

    “Buildings in Bangkok are not engineered for earthquakes, so I think that’s why I think there’s going to be big damage.”

  20. How common are earthquakes in Myanmar?published at 07:59 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    Earthquakes are relatively more common in Myanmar, compared to Thailand.

    Between 1930 and 1956, there where six strong quakes of 7.0 magnitude near the Sagaing Fault, which runs through the centre of the country, AFP news agency reports, citing the USGS.

    Thailand is not an earthquake zone and nearly all earthquakes that are felt there, which are rare, are in neighbouring Myanmar.

    As buildings in Bangkok are not engineered for powerful earthquakes, the structural damage could be significant.