What Happened?
On Friday 3/28, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit the country of Myanmar. The event occurred close to the country’s 2nd largest city of Mandalay. The first aftershock was also strong at a 6.4 magnitude and occurred about 15 minutes after the first tremor.
Map of areas in SE Asia affected.
Aid
The Junta of Myanmar—a military group that usurped the former government—made a rare plea for help from international organizations. The country opened its borders to international help after closing for 4 years due to a civil war. Thailand has also been largely affected by the earthquake. The efforts to help these nations will be drastically different, with the corrupt government of Myanmar rejecting much of the aid given to the country has rejected aid. In addition to this, they downplay the damage to not receiving aid. On the other hand, Thailand has a way better track record of responding to disasters; they have well-equipped and well-experienced rescue teams.
Damage
Many cities that felt the shake have not seen many earthquakes, so the integrity of buildings is in question. People in high-rises in Bangkok, Thailand, have been told to evacuate due to one already falling. To know the extent of the damage in Myanmar will take a while due to the de facto junta not having much control over the country; most of Myanmar is controlled by ethnic militaries, which means not much information can be organized to give clear answers. The death toll as of ⅘ has been estimated to be 3,350. 4,850 people have been injured and 220 remain missing, according to information released by the state media. At least 20 have died in Thailand.
Damage to religion
100 Buddhist temples have been destroyed by the earthquake. 50 mosques have been destroyed by the earthquake. Cultural experts worry that this damage will hurt the preservation of Burmese culture in the country. Some of the buildings destroyed were hundreds to a thousand years old.
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