A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed.
The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock.
The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times — was not yet clear.
Photo: Bloomberg
Myanmar’s government said blood was in high demand in the hardest-hit areas. Images of buckled and cracked roads and damaged highways as well as the collapse of a bridge and dam raised further concerns about how rescuers would even reach some areas in a country already enduring a widespread humanitarian crisis.
Near Bangkok’s popular Chatuchak market, a 33-story building under construction, with a crane on top, crumpled into a cloud of dust, and onlookers could be seen screaming and running in a video posted on social media.
The sound of sirens echoed throughout central Bangkok and vehicles filled the streets, leaving some of the city’s already congested streets gridlocked. The elevated rapid transit system and subway were shut down.
Photo: AP
While the area where the quake struck is prone to earthquakes, they are usually not so big and it is rare for them to be felt in the Thai capital.
In Bangkok, a construction worker was killed when rubble from the collapsing building site hit his truck and another was crushed by the falling debris, rescue worker Songwut Wangpon said.
Thai Minister of Defense Phumtham Wechayachai said three people were killed at the site and 90 were missing. He offered no more details about the ongoing rescue efforts, but first responders said that seven people had been rescued so far from the area.
Photo: AP
In Taipei, President William Lai (賴清德) wrote on Facebook that he has asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to contact its offices in Myanmar and Thailand to look into the extent of the damage and see whether any Taiwanese would require assistance.
Lai said he is praying that there would be minimal damage in both countries, adding that if necessary, Taiwan would be willing to provide assistance.
Taiwanese nationals in Myanmar can call 209-257-257-575, and those in Thailand can call 081-666-4006 for assistance, Lai said.
Photo: AP
The Ministry of the Interior said that the National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort.
The teams comprise of 120 search and rescue personnel, including five doctors, one veterinarian, seven nurses, six search and rescue dogs, and 15 tonnes of disaster relief equipment, it said.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said the city is prepared to deploy its disaster response team, as Kaohsiung has six disaster search and rescue dogs that have received International Rescue Dog Organization (IRO) certification, and the city this month is the designated city for overseas rescue dog deployment.
Photo: Screen grab from the National Fire Agency’s Facebook page
Meanwhile, the Shin Kong Wu Ho Su Memorial Hospital said it would donate US$100,000 to support disaster relief efforts in Myanmar.
Additional reporting by Su Yung-yao, Wang Jung-hsiang and Chiu Chih-jou
Photo: AP
Seventy percent of middle and elementary schools now conduct English classes entirely in English, the Ministry of Education said, as it encourages schools nationwide to adopt this practice Minister of Education (MOE) Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) is scheduled to present a report on the government’s bilingual education policy to the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee today. The report would outline strategies aimed at expanding access to education, reducing regional disparities and improving talent cultivation. Implementation of bilingual education policies has varied across local governments, occasionally drawing public criticism. For example, some schools have required teachers of non-English subjects to pass English proficiency
‘FORM OF PROTEST’: The German Institute Taipei said it was ‘shocked’ to see Nazi symbolism used in connection with political aims as it condemned the incident Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 yesterday amid an outcry over a Nazi armband he wore to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case on Tuesday night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and apparently covering the book with a coat. This is a serious international scandal and Chinese
PERSONAL DATA: The implicated KMT members allegedly compiled their petitions by copying names from party lists without the consent of the people concerned Judicial authorities searched six locations yesterday and questioned six people, including one elderly Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) member and five KMT Youth League associates, about alleged signature forgery and fraud relating to their recall efforts against two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. After launching a probe into alleged signature forgery and related fraud in the KMT’s recall effort, prosecutors received a number of complaints, including about one petition that had 1,748 signatures of voters whose family members said they had already passed away, and also voters who said they did not approve the use of their name, Taipei Deputy Chief Prosecutor
TRADE: The premier pledged safeguards on ‘Made in Taiwan’ labeling, anti-dumping measures and stricter export controls to strengthen its position in trade talks Products labeled “made in Taiwan” must be genuinely made in Taiwan, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday, vowing to enforce strict safeguards against “origin laundering” and initiate anti-dumping investigations to prevent China dumping its products in Taiwan. Cho made the remarks in a discussion session with representatives from industries in Kaohsiung. In response to the US government’s recent announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on its trading partners, President William Lai (賴清德) and Cho last week began a series of consultations with industry leaders nationwide to gather feedback and address concerns. Taiwanese and US officials held a videoconference on Friday evening to discuss the