Myanmar-Thailand quake: Death toll rises to more than 150

03/29/2025March 29, 2025

Trump's cuts limit US ability to help, says former USAID staffer

US President Donald Trump said that his administration was going to help with the rescue and relief operations in the aftermath of the deadly earthquake.

But there are doubts about Washington's ability to help following the Trump administration's deep cuts to the foreign aid agency USAID.

Sarah Charles, a former senior USAID official who oversaw disaster-response teams and overall humanitarian work under the Biden administration, said the system was now "in shambles." She added that there were no agency people or resources to move quickly to pull out survivors from collapsed buildings and otherwise save lives, the AP news agency reported.

She believes other countries, including the United States' geopolitical rivals like China and Russia, will likely attempt to fill the gap left by the US.

"I suspect we will see very shortly Chinese teams showing up, if they haven’t already, possibly Turkish, Russian, Indian teams really making their presence known in support of people that are really suffering right now in Thailand and Burma, and the US won't be there," she told Reuters, using the former name of Myanmar.

Charles said non-governmental aid groups that normally provide emergency water, sanitation and medical help in such situations had laid off staff or run out of funds due to Trump's foreign aid freeze.

“It's really devastating to watch in real time," she said.

03/28/2025March 28, 2025

Rescue workers search for survivors after powerful quake — in pictures

03/28/2025March 28, 2025

WATCH: 'Thousands of deaths' feared after quake in Myanmar — US expert

"Upwards of thousands of deaths" are feared after a massive earthquake struck Myanmar and neighboring countries, US experts have said.

The US Geological Survey's Dara Goldberg explained to DW why the earthquake — which was powerful and hit at a shallow depth — is expected to cause widespread damage and casualties as she warned to expect aftershocks for days to come.

Watch more here: 
 

03/28/2025March 28, 2025

Deadly quake in Myanmar and Thailand — in pictures

03/28/2025March 28, 2025

Doctors without Borders urges 'swift access to affected areas'

International medical organization Doctors without Borders (MSF) said it is "ready to assist" after the quake in Myanmar and Thailand. 

"Our medical humanitarian staff in Myanmar and neighboring countries have the capacity to respond at scale to the needs of affected communities as soon as authorities facilitate swift and unhindered access for teams to do assessments and provide medical care," MSF operations manager for Myanmar, Bangladesh and Malaysia Paul Brockmann said in a statement. 

Brockman said the organization is "concerned about those who will be vulnerable after losing shelter, access to general health care, and safe drinking water, which is crucial to control the possible spread of waterborne diseases."

MSF warned of a 'devastating' impact on people after the quake Image: The Myanmar Military True News Information Team/AP/dpa/picture alliance

"To enable an effective response, swift access to affected areas and timely approval of essential supplies and personnel are criticial," Brockmann urged. 

MSF has been present in Myanmar since 1992, dealing with issues such as HIV and tuberculosis and providing help to the prosecuted Rohinya people.  

MSF also has operations since 1976 in Thailand. The organization is present in the southern regions of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, where is provides basic health services and mental health treatment.

03/28/2025March 28, 2025

WATCH: 'Everybody started running, we all knew,' says one resident in Bangkok

Video footage shows the devastation in Thailand as the earthquake centered in Myanmar triggered panic among people earlier today. DW reel covers more.

03/28/2025March 28, 2025

UN chief says org is 'mobilizing' in Southeast Asia after quake

In a post on X, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said his "heart goes out" to people impacted by the "terrible" quake in Southeast Asia. 

"I send my condolences to the governments and people of the region," Guterres said. "The UN system in the region is mobilizing to help those in need."  

The UN has an office in Bangkok, which is home to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.  

03/28/2025March 28, 2025

EU, France also have offered help

The European Union and France have also offered assistance to Myanmar and Thailand amid the disaster. 

"Heartbreaking scenes from Myanmar and Thailand after the devastating earthquake," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X. "My thoughts are with the victims & their families."

"Europe's Copernicus satellites are already helping first responders," she added. "We are ready to provide more support."

France has also vowed to provide help after the quake.

"We are ready to provide support as soon as the need has been expressed and we have evacuated our premises in Bangkok to guard against any form of risk," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said during a visit to China.    

03/28/2025March 28, 2025

Minor injuries, damage reported in southwest China

The Chinese city of Ruili lies next to Myanmar and is a hub for international trade between the two Asian countries Image: Xinhua/IMAGO

Strong tremors were felt in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan.

Two people sustained minor injuries in Ruili, a city on the border with Myanmar, where there were also reports of damage to houses.

Rescue operations were underway, Chinese state media said.

Videos shared on social media in China showed swaying buildings in Kinming, the provincial capital.

China's embassy in Myanmar urged Chinese citizens in the country to take precautions and be prepared for aftershocks. 

Chinese authorities are gauging the extent of the damage in the city of RuiliImage: Sun Min/Xinhua/ZUMA/IMAGO

The state-owned Global Times said its diplomatic missions had activated emergency response protocols and were monitoring the situation.

"We will continue to provide timely consular protection and assistance to Chinese citizens in Myanmar and, based on the needs of the Myanmar side, assist the Myanmar people in earthquake relief efforts," the embassy said.

In a daily press briefing earlier on Friday, China's Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun said the ministry had "noted relevant reports on the earthquake." 

"We are following and checking the situation, and will release information in a timely manner," he said.

03/28/2025March 28, 2025

US President Donald Trump vows help for Myanmar

US President Donald Trump said his administration has spoken with officials in Myanmar after the devastating quake. 

"It's terrible what's happening," Trump said, while saying that the US "will be helping" after the quake. 

The Trump administration has scaled down US international aid upon taking office, and has dismantled US international assistance agency USAID.     

03/28/2025March 28, 2025

India's Modi offers help to quake victims

The tremors from the powerful earthquake were felt in countries across the region, including Vietnam, China, Bangladesh and India.

The quake sparked panic in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, and in eastern India's Manipur state, but there were no initial reports of any damage.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X that he was "concerned" by the situation and that Indian authorities were "on standby" to help the victims of the quake in Myanmar and Thailand.

"Praying for the safety and wellbeing of everyone. India stands ready to offer all possible assistance," Modi said.
 

03/28/2025March 28, 2025

Authorities declare state of emergency in parts of Myanmar, Thailand after quake

The tremendous impact of the quake has prompted authorities in both Myanmar and Thailand to take extraordinary measures. 

In Myanmar, a state of emergency was declared in six regions of the country, as at least 144 people have died nationwide and 730 were wounded. The order impacts Myanmar's capital of Naypyitaw and the major city of Mandalay further north. 

The city of Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest metropolis, was impacted by the quake Image: STR/AFP

State media in Myanmar reported that a hospital with 1,000 beds in Naypyitaw felt damage from the quake. 

The significance of the emergency declaration in Myanmar is unclear, as the entire country had already been under state of emergency since the 2021 military coup.    

The Thai capital of Bangkok has also declared a state of emergency, according to Thai Prime Minister Paetongarn Shinawatra.

The quake injured people at a construction site in Bangkok, a city which is experiencing significant urban development and the building of new skyscrapersImage: Sakchai Lalit/AP/dpa/picture alliance

At least 8 people were killed in Bangkok, with 16 wounded and 101 people unaccounted for at construction sites. 

03/28/2025March 28, 2025

Myanmar's ruling junta asks for rare help amid disaster

Myanmar's army chief Min Aung Hlaing's plead for help comes as his country is isolated internationally due to the military takeover in 2021Image: Sai Aung Main/AFP

Myanmar's ruling junta has called for help after the massive earthquake which killed 144 people in the Southeast Asian country. 

Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing said the death toll is "likely to rise."

"In some places, some buildings collapsed," Hlaing said in an address broadcast on state television. 

"I would like to invite any country, any organization, or anyone in Myanmar to come and help," Hlaing requested. "Thank you."   

The humanitarian catastrophe triggered by the earthquake comes as isolated Myanmar is engulfed in a civil war. 

Hlaing, an army general, carried out a coup d'etat on February 1, 2021, deposing the country's civil leadership under the helm of Aung San Suu Kyi. It came months after Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy was victorious in an election, with the military arresting Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian leaders as part of the coup attempt. 

Since the February 2021 coup, the military has been fighting against groups supported by members of the ousted civilian government. Various ethnic armed organizations, such as the Karen National Liberation Army, are also in combat against the junta. 

03/28/2025March 28, 2025

Welcome to our coverage

Wesley Dockery | Karl Sexton | Roshni Majumdar

The Myanmar junta said that at least 144 people have died and 732 people have been injured in a powerful quake that struck two cities in the country, Naypyidaw, the capital of the ruling military junta, and Mandalay, the second-largest city in the country. 

The tremors from the 7.7 magnitude earthquake were felt as far away as Bangkok, Thailand, where dozens are feared trapped in the rubble after a high-rise building in construction collapsed. Eight people have died in the Thai capital due to the quake. 

Here's everything to know about the earthquake as we reported the time it struck.