11.57°C Vancouver

Mar 28, 2025 2:28 PM - The Associated Press

Powerful earthquake rocks Thailand and Myanmar, high-rise building under construction collapsed in Bangkok

Share On
powerful-earthquake-rocks-thailand-and-myanmar-high-rise-building-under-construction-collapsed
The 7.7 magnitude quake, with an epicenter near Mandalayin Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock. (Photo: The Canadian Press)

A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand on Friday, 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 U.S. Geological Survey and Germany’s GFZ center for geosciences said the earthquake was a shallow 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), according to preliminary reports. Shallower earthquakes tend to cause more damage. Screaming and panic as buildings swayed. The 7.7 magnitude quake, with an epicenter near Mandalayin Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock. Its tremors were felt in India, Bangladesh and China, apart from Thailand. According to reports, tremors of the earthquake were felt in Kolkata, Imphal, Meghalaya and East Cargo Hill in India.

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. 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. The military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, and is now involved in a bloody civil war with long-established militias and newly formed pro-democracy ones.

Latest news

police-investigate-shots-fired-at-surrey-business
CanadaOct 29, 2025

Police probe overnight shooting that damaged Surrey business

Police in Surrey are investigating after gunfire caused property damage to a business in the city’s South Surrey area earlier this week. Surrey Police Service (SPS) and the RCMP Surrey Provincial Operations Support Unit (SPOSU) say the incident was reported around 11:35 a.m. on October 28. Officers were called to a business in the 15200 block of Croydon Drive, where they confirmed that the building’s exterior had been struck by bullets. Investigators believe the shooting took place sometime between 8:30 p.m. on October 27 and 8:30 a.m. the next morning. No one was inside the business at th
drug-related-offences-rise-nationally-for-first-time-in-12-years-statcan
CanadaOct 29, 2025

Drug-related offences rise nationally for first time in 12 years – StatCan

Statistics Canada says the country’s rate of police-reported drug crime has increased for the first time in more than a decade, marking a 13 per cent jump between 2023 and 2024. The new data shows the rise was driven by higher numbers of possession and trafficking charges involving cannabis, cocaine and opioids other than heroin. Despite the recent uptick, the national rate remains well below its historical peak. The 2024 figure stood at 128 incidents per 100,000 people – down 61 per cent from a high of 330 in 2011. The Northwest Territories recorded the highest rate of drug crime last yea
bc-government-calls-emergency-meeting-with-federal-ministers
BCOct 29, 2025

BC government calls emergency meeting with federal ministers

The BC government is calling an emergency meeting with federal ministers in Vancouver next week, also known as the Forestry Sector Summit, in light of the trade dispute with the US and the recent increase in tariffs on softwood, with Forestry Minister Ravi Parmar inviting federal ministers Dominique LeBlanc and Melanie Joly to attend. The BC government intends to seek financial assistance from the federal government to help the struggling forestry sector and combat the tariffs. Parmar said that forestry for us in BC is like the auto sector and the steel sector, which the government should a
IndiaOct 29, 2025

CBI books Punjab DIG HS Bhullar in fresh case for amassing disproportionate assets

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a fresh case against arrested Punjab IPS officer Harcharan Singh Bhullar for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets running into several crores, far beyond his known sources of income. The registration of this second case follows a detailed written complaint dated October 29 by CBI Inspector Sonal Mishra, who cited the recovery of massive undeclared wealth from Bhullar’s residence during searches earlier this month.
a-serious-motorcycle-crash-that-closed-highway-97c-is-prompting-a-call-for-witnesses-and-video
BCOct 29, 2025

A serious motorcycle crash that closed Highway 97C is prompting a call for witnesses and video

Police are looking for witnesses and dash-camera video to explain what led to a serious, single-vehicle motorcycle collision that shut down Highway 97C. On October 27, 2025, at 2:15 p.m., a blue Harley-Davidson with two people on board crashed on Highway 97C several kilometres north of the junction with Highway #8. The driver of the motorcycle, a 37-year-old man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. His passenger, a 39-year-old Logan Lake woman was hospitalized with life-altering and life-threatening injuries. “Alcohol and speed are being investigated as contributing fa

Related News