As a former resident of Thailand, the Myanmar earthquake that caused massive devastation in both countries was particularly heartbreaking.
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Myanmar Earthquake Rattles Southeast Asia
On Friday, March 28th, 2025, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar devastating the area and causing severe damage, death, and destruction in both Myanmar and Bangkok, Thailand some 680 miles from the epicenter. Effects of the earthquake could be felt all the way to Europe.
“The country’s death toll from the disaster soared to 1,644.
The figure was a sharp rise compared to the 1,002 announced just hours earlier, highlighting the difficulty of confirming casualties over a widespread region and the likelihood that the numbers will continue to grow from Friday’s 7.7 magnitude quake. The number of injured increased to 3,408, while the missing figure rose to 139.” – AP
Aftershocks continued to rumble with large effect.
“The earthquake’s epicentre was located 16km (10 miles) north-west of Myanmar’s city Sagaing, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
This is also near Myanmar’s second-largest city, Mandalay, with a population of about 1.5 million people – and about 100km (60 miles) north of the capital, Nay Pyi Taw.
The first earthquake struck at about 12:50 (06:20 GMT), according to the USGS. A second earthquake struck 12 minutes later, with a magnitude of 6.4. Its epicentre was 18km (11 miles) south of Sagaing.
Aftershocks have continued since – the latest on Sunday was a magnitude-5.1 tremor north-west of Mandalay, with a resident telling BBC Burmese it was the strongest they had felt since 28 March.” – BBC Burmese
Fighting among separatists and the Myanmar government has paused to enable relief efforts.
Heartbreaking Videos
In Bangkok, rooftop pools, restaurants, and night clubs are everywhere. Videos of those pools emptying their contents over the edge of the building and spilling onto the street below (at high velocity and volume) was terrifying from the pool and from the ground.
A 30-story building under construction crumbled to the ground. A crane was operating at the time and sadly had an operator thrown from the crane as the building shook before collapsing.
And the devastation in Myanmar was perhaps even more dramatic with older buildings that were not developed to the same design codes.
Personal Reflection
Thailand is personal for myself and my family. We love it there, we travel there often, and we moved their for a year-long sabbatical more than a decade ago when I began writing my travel blog. Thailand is such a welcoming country with friendly people, great food, high luxury from Bangkok skyscrapers but also a real sense of community at the street level.
I understand that a 7.7 magnitude earthquake is a substantial event, but it took place almost 700 miles away and I am shocked by the fragile condition of some of the high rise buildings in the city. I expected those buildings, even those that were being built (one would assume to the highest current safety standards) to fare better than they did.
For the first time, my wife and I had to answer the question, “what would we do if we were in one of those high rise hotels?” We haven’t needed such a plan heretofore and wouldn’t have thought modern buildings would be in such a condition.
However, I have the highest confidence that officials in Thailand will be effective in their judgement, inspection, and recondition of buildings that need to be more secure.
Conclusion
Thailand and Myanmar will rebuild but they can’t replace the loss of life. The lack of confidence and concern the earthquake caused may also have a lasting effect. For Myanmar, rebuilding will take longer due to the lack of infrastructure, business, and investment. Thailand will be faster and sturdier in its repairs, but it also has more to lose and must restore confidence to maintain its tourism and commercial presence.
What do you think?
My heart breaks watching the video. Thailand has been very good to me and I have friends that live in Bangkok I have not been able to reach, but I am sure they are unscathed. The construction high rise collapse was across from the weekend market a place I often visit.
I’ve often worried about earthquakes when visiting Tokyo but also remembering the advances in engineering used in Japan. Myanmar’s I can’t imagine. Prayers.
“ However, I have the highest confidence that officials in Thailand will be effective in their judgement, inspection, and recondition of buildings that need to be more secure”
You have confidence in a country that has tourist companies operating within its borders with the sole purpose of bringing perverts in to F##k kids?
Really?
“Fighting among separatists and the Myanmar government has paused to enable relief efforts.”
And the united states will not be among the nations sending the most relief. Sad
I was in Bangkok during the earthquake at the Courtyard Bangkok. The building next door was under construction and bits of it were falling down, causing the workers to all scramble – quite a harrowing sight.
“However, I have the highest confidence that officials in Thailand will be effective in their judgement, inspection, and recondition of buildings that need to be more secure.”
This has got to be a joke, right?
I have a LOT of family in Thailand, have lived there for long periods. I have zero confidence in the Thai government authorities to do anything, they are thoroughly corrupt. My wife, who is Thai, said the under-construction skyscraper collapsed because it was Chinese investors, who paid off the corrupt Thai authorities to look the other way and allowed shoddy construction.
The government of Thailand and Thai society is as corrupt as any on earth. Nice people, but they are completely f**ked and will never get things right because the corruption is so deeply ingrained at every level of society, it permeates everywhere (I see it in my own family members, who I love, but they quickly move to bribe someone for things large and small) – corruption is so ever-present, it’s like fish being unaware that they swimming in water – it’s that way with corruption in Thailand. Pity, it’s a beautiful country, but they sold themselves down the river long ago, it only gets worse with the unchecked influence of China. Thailand has a LOT of deep, profound problems and they’ll never solve any of them because the corruption is so pervasive.
Myanmar is beautiful too, but they have been screwed, blued, and tattooed for so long by so many evil goons that they’ll probably never grow up and develop, they’ll just be a Chinese vassal state forever. Sad state of affairs.
Exactly.
Kyle doesn’t know squat.
Even after spending a year there.
Shut up, Kyle.
Mike M is 100% correct. While it has great potential, Thailand will never progress. I know never is a long time but that my story and I am sticking to it. Thailand has a caste system lite.
The first thing they have to do is get rid of the worst, most corrupt institution in the country. Number 10 and his entire rotten court MUST GO!! They are parasites and make the German Windsors look like paragons of virtue!!
The corruption in Thailand is off the charts!!
For some reason I thought Matthew wrote this originally and thought “you’re worried about being in a tall building in Bangkok, but cool with going to Ukraine ”. Then I realized it wasn’t Matthew.
Really a tragedy for Myanmar. Such a beautiful country with beautiful people that just seems to suffer more and more. Devastating really.
Eve I do so agree. Myanmar ( Burma ) I have been denied entry since the junta. Been to the consult, they softened and then doubled down. My heart hopes if there is a positive response to the this horrible earthquake, that the junta will accept change.