Cries for help as victims trapped and injured after Myanmar-Thailand quake

International

“I HAVEN’T seen (something) like this before.”

These haunting words from an exhausted doctor in Naypyidaw, Myanmar captured the chaos and despair that followed a massive 7.7-magnitude earthquake on Friday, March 28.

The catastrophic tremor left hospitals overwhelmed, entire neighborhoods in ruins, and rescue teams scrambling to find survivors.

The earthquake struck northwest of Sagaing on Friday afternoon at a shallow depth, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Just minutes later, a powerful 6.4-magnitude aftershock rattled the same region, intensifying the devastation.

In Myanmar, the quake caused roads to split open, reduced buildings to rubble, and collapsed the iconic Ava Bridge near the epicenter. In the capital, AFP journalists witnessed the entrance of the city’s main hospital pancaked onto a car. The facility was quickly overwhelmed, with hundreds of injured people being treated outside. Intravenous drips dangled from gurneys as some victims writhed in agony, while others lay motionless as relatives clung to them in despair.

A hospital official, ushering journalists away, described the scene as “a mass casualty area.“ Another official confirmed the staggering influx of victims, saying hundreds of injured people have arrived at the facility.

Outside, the road leading to the hospital was jammed with vehicles. Ambulances fought to push through the gridlock as paramedics shouted at cars to move aside so the ambulance could get through.

Across the border in Thailand, the powerful tremors sent panicked residents flooding into the streets. In Bangkok, a 30-story skyscraper under construction collapsed, trapping 43 workers beneath the rubble, police and medics reported.

Footage shared on social media showed the building reduced to a twisted mass of steel and concrete in mere seconds.

“When I arrived to inspect the site, I heard people calling for help, saying help me,”Worapat Sukthai, deputy police chief of Bang Sue district, told AFP, according to a report from the Inquirer.

Rescue teams raced against time to locate survivors, while ambulances and emergency crews gathered near Chatuchak market, a bustling hotspot for tourists and locals alike.

The earthquake’s ferocity was felt far beyond Myanmar and Thailand. In China, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and India, buildings swayed violently, sending people running outdoors.

In Ruili, a Chinese city near the Myanmar border, emergency workers in orange jumpsuits and helmets cleared debris from streets littered with fallen masonry.

A shopkeeper shared phone footage showing people fleeing stores, shielding their heads from falling debris, only to be drenched by water gushing from a burst pipe overhead.

Sai, 76, who was working at a minimart in Chiang Mai, Thailand, when the quake hit, described the terrifying moment.

“I quickly rushed out of the shop along with other customers,” he was quoted in the same report.

“This is the strongest tremor I’ve experienced in my life,” he added.

The disaster prompted Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to declare a state of emergency in Bangkok. Metro and light rail services were briefly suspended, further paralyzing the city’s already notorious traffic. Airports, however, continued to operate as normal.

Meanwhile, in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed solidarity with the victims, offering all possible assistance to Myanmar and Thailand. Authorities placed rescue teams on high alert, bracing for potential aftershocks.

Earthquakes of this magnitude are not uncommon in Myanmar, which lies along the Sagaing Fault, a major tectonic boundary. According to the USGS, the region experienced six significant earthquakes measuring 7.0 or higher between 1930 and 1956.(MyTVCebu)