A catastrophic earthquake has struck Southeast Asia, unleashing chaos and tragedy across Myanmar, southern China, and northern Thailand. The powerful 7.7 magnitude quake hit in the early hours of Monday morning, leaving behind a trail of destruction, with dozens confirmed dead, hundreds injured, and many still trapped beneath the rubble.
The earthquake struck at 3:42 a.m. local time, with its epicenter near the rugged border between Myanmar and China’s Yunnan Province, at a shallow depth of just 10 kilometers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The tremors were felt as far as Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai in Thailand, triggering widespread panic and mass evacuations.
Myanmar has suffered the most severe impact, declaring a state of emergency in multiple regions. The current toll stands at 48 dead and over 300 injured, with many still unaccounted for. In the city of Lashio, entire buildings have crumbled, and emergency crews are racing against time to pull survivors from the wreckage.
“We heard a loud noise, and suddenly everything started shaking. The walls cracked, the ground moved like waves,” said Myo Thant, a local resident who narrowly escaped with his family moments before their home collapsed.
Rescue operations are ongoing amid collapsed infrastructure, power outages, and ongoing aftershocks, as authorities brace for a long and difficult recovery ahead.
