By CatholicVote | Created at 2025-03-28 21:21:09 | Updated at 2025-04-04 04:52:04
6 days ago
CV NEWS FEED // Pope Francis expressed in a telegram his prayers and sorrow for those affected by the March 28 7.7-magnitude earthquake that devastated Myanmar, Thailand, and other areas of Southeast Asia.
The Vatican reported that in the telegram, the Pope prayed that the first responders “may be sustained in their care of the injured and displaced by the divine gifts of fortitude and perseverance.”
LiCas News reported that a 6.4 aftershock followed the earthquake. Tremors were felt in areas of China, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and India.
In Thailand’s capitol, Bangkok, a government building that was under construction collapsed, killing three and trapping 81 people.
“We estimate that hundreds of people are injured, but we are still determining the number of casualties,” said Worapat Sukthai, who is the deputy police chief of Bangkok’s Bang Sue district. “I fear many lives have been lost. We have never experienced an earthquake with such a devastating impact before.”
Bangkok is also the location of Caritas Asia’s headquarters, a regional office for a global confederation of Catholic charitable organizations. The confederation reported that all staff at the center are safe.
Caritas Asia’s president, Benedict Alo D’Rozario, stated, “We ask for your prayers for the communities and countries affected by the powerful earthquake, as we continue to assess the full extent of the damage.”
D’Rozario added that the reports will be sent to Caritas International in Rome, where they will be used to calculate how much support is needed from other Caritas member organizations.
The Associated Press reported that at least 144 are dead and more than 700 were injured in Myanmar, which is currently suffering under a civil war.
In Myanmar’s capital, Naypyidaw, injured people are lying outside of a 1,000-bed hospital because the institution’s concrete entrance collapsed onto a car, according to LiCas News.
“Many injured people have been arriving, I haven’t seen anything like this before,” a doctor told the outlet. “We are trying to handle the situation. I’m so exhausted.”
