[🇧🇩] Earthquake in Myanmar & Bangladesh

[Saif]

Date of Event: Mar 30, 2025

Source: https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/5jq3conp1d

250,000 buildings to collapse in Chattogram by magnitude 7 earthquake like Myanmar
Sujan Ghose
Chattogram
Published: 29 Mar 2025, 22: 25

An arial photo showing the buildings in Chattogram city which are constructed connectedly in an unplanned way defying the building code File photo

The port city of Chattogram is one of the major earthquake-prone areas of the country. A high magnitude earthquake like in Myanmar would damage nearly 70 per cent buildings in the city. As such, around 267,000 buildings of the total 382,000 buildings in the city would be somewhat affected.

The experts raised the concern, following a magnitude 7 earthquake in Myanmar yesterday which claimed at least 1000 lives with the casualty likely to grow far.

They say that the risk is high due to non-compliance with building construction regulation, erecting establishments without following the approved design and the use of substandard construction materials.

They also claim that the relevant government and non-government agencies practically do not have any preparation to run rescue operations and deal with the situation in case of a high magnitude tremor.

Experts and fire service officials allege the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) was negligent and deficient in its role as the monitoring agency in building construction. The agency did not do its work properly. The situation has become grave due to this.

The CDA officials too have admitted that they cannot monitor properly due to lack of manpower. They are also concerned that a magnitude 7 earthquake in Chattogram will make at least 60 to 70 per cent of the buildings in the city grounded or affected to some extent.

The concerns centering Chattogram’s vulnerability to earthquake resurfaced following the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Thailand and central Myanmar Friday at 12:50 am local time. It was followed by a Magnitude 4 aftershock at 01:12 pm local time. Already more than 1,000 have been reported dead in Myanmar alone and the casualties are rising. A number of buildings in Myanmar and Thailand totally collapsed in the two countries.

There hasn’t been any major casualty in Chattogram from earthquakes in recent times. However, in 2016, there were reports of 12 buildings leaning over following a 6.99-magnitude earthquake in the city on 13 April.

In 1997, there were reports of casualties as a five-storey building collapsed in the tremor originated from a 6.1-magnitude earthquake on 21 November.

According to the CDA, there are some 382,111 buildings in the city at the moment, including 278,005 one-storey building, 90,444 two-five-storey buildings, 13,135 buildings with six to 10 floors and 527 more than 10-storey and 10 more than 20-storey buildings in the city. However, most of these buildings were not constructed in compliance with the regulations.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, former Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) vice-chancellor and CDA chief engineer Kazi Hasan Bin Shams said, “If an earthquake of the magnitude that hit Myanmar jolts the city, then at least 70 per cent buildings will be directly affected. Nearly 267,000 city buildings are at this risk.”

Meanwhile, there haven’t been any surveys in recent times regarding the vulnerability of the buildings and establishments in the region in the face of a strong earthquake.

The city of Chattogram is under a severe threat of earthquake. Almost 70 per cent of these buildings will be damaged in case of a magnitude-7 earthquake or above. National Building Codes were totally ignored while constructing most of these buildings. Mohammad Jahangir Alam, Former vice chancellor, CUET.

However, the disaster management ministry conducted a survey under the Combined Disaster Management programme to evaluate the earthquake threats in the Chattogram region from 2009 to 2011.

According to the survey, there were some 182,000 buildings, mostly one-storey, in the city at the time. Of these, 168,150 buildings were under risk, which is 92 per cent of the total buildings in the city. These buildings were not constructed following the National Building Code of Bangladesh. The survey stated that the hospitals, clinics and educational institutions were at the highest risk.

Former CUET vice chancellor Mohammad Jahangir Alam led the survey in Chattogram region.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on Saturday, he said, “The city of Chattogram is under a severe threat of earthquake. Almost 70 per cent of these buildings will be damaged in case of a magnitude-7 earthquake or above. National Building Codes were totally ignored while constructing most of these buildings. In case of a strong earthquake, most of these buildings will totally collapse and the remaining will be partially damaged which will lead to massive casualties.”

The former CUET vice chancellor stressed on identifying the vulnerable buildings under risk on an emergency basis and taking other relevant measures soon afterwards.

He further said, “In a word, we are totally unprepared to tackle the post-earthquake situations. The fire service, the city corporation and the CDA do not have any special preparation or a course of actions on earthquake situations. They do not have the necessary equipment either.”

“In some places, the lanes are too narrow for the rescue vehicles or ambulances to reach the spot. Where a country like Thailand is struggling to tackle the situation, what could be the consequence in Bangladesh is anybody’s guess.”

The south-eastern part of Bangladesh is known as an earthquake-prone zone. So we have to prepare from now. We need short, medium and long term planning for this. At the same time, there is no alternative to raise public awareness in this regard. Besides, regular exercise is also crucial. Humayun Akhter, Earthquake expert and former geology professor at DU.

As per the Chittagong Metropolitan Building Act 2008, one has to get eight approvals from the development authority in different phases while constructing a building. These are land use clearance, construction approval, notification of commencement of construction work and consent letter from technical personnel, report from technical personnel on the work up to the plinth (foundation) of the building, notification letter of completion of construction work of the building, certification letter from technical personnel, occupancy certificate and renewal of occupancy certificate after five years.

Although the building owners in Chattogram take approval from the authority for building design, they don’t bother following the next steps.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Fire Service and Civil Defence Chattogram zone assistant director Md Anwar Hossain said his force were always ready to follow the official instructions that had to be followed to run rescue missions in post-earthquake periods.

Besides, most of the buildings in the city have been constructed defying the rules and regulations, which further raised the risk of earthquakes. The CDA-monitoring has not been up to the mark in this case, he claimed, adding, “Instead of monitoring, the CDA has approved building construction in such places where it is difficult to run a rescue operation.”

CDA chief engineer Kazi Hasan Bin Shams admitted to the limitations in monitoring citing lack of manpower. However, he claimed, “We are monitoring regularly now. They are checking on the buildings up to 10-storey in person. We are sending experts to check buildings that are further higher.”

Former Geology professor at Dhaka University and earthquake expert Humayun Akhter said, “The south-eastern part of Bangladesh is known as an earthquake-prone zone. So we have to prepare from now. We need short, medium and long term planning for this. At the same time, there is no alternative to raise public awareness in this regard. Besides, regular exercise is also crucial.”

*This report appeared on the online version of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ashish Basu​

 

[Saif]

Aftershocks rattle Mandalay as rescuers search for survivors in Myanmar quake

The tremors collapsed buildings, downed bridges and buckled roads, with mass destruction seen in the city of more than 1.7 million people

en.prothomalo.com

Aftershocks rattle Mandalay as rescuers search for survivors in Myanmar quake
AFP
Mandalay, Myanmar
Published: 30 Mar 2025, 09: 10

Women react after hearing of the death of a relative at the site of an under-construction building collapse in Bangkok on 30 March, 2025 AFP

Residents scrambled desperately through collapsed buildings Sunday searching for survivors as aftershocks rattled the devastated city of Mandalay, two days after a massive earthquake killed more than 1,600 people in Myanmar and at least 11 in neighbouring Thailand.

The initial 7.7-magnitude quake struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock.

The tremors collapsed buildings, downed bridges and buckled roads, with mass destruction seen in the city of more than 1.7 million people.

As dawn broke Sunday, tea shop owner Win Lwin picked his way through the remains of a collapsed restaurant on a main road in his neighbourhood, tossing bricks aside one by one.

"About seven people died here" when the quake struck Friday, he told AFP. "I'm looking for more bodies but I know there cannot be any survivors.

"We don't know how many bodies there could be but we are looking."

About an hour later, a small aftershock struck, sending people scurrying out of a hotel for safety, following a similar tremor felt late Saturday evening.

Truckloads of firemen gathered at one of Mandalay's main fire stations to be dispatched to sites around the city.

The night before, rescuers had pulled a woman out alive from the wreckage of a collapsed apartment building, with applause ringing out as she was carried by stretcher to an ambulance.

Myanmar's ruling junta said in a statement Saturday that at least 1,644 people were killed and more than 3,400 injured in the country, with at least 139 more missing.

But with unreliable communications, the true scale of the disaster remains unclear in the isolated military-ruled state, and the toll is expected to rise significantly.

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing issued an exceptionally rare appeal for international aid on Friday, indicating the severity of the calamity.

Previous military governments have shunned foreign assistance, even after major natural disasters.

Myanmar has already been ravaged by four years of civil war sparked by a military coup in 2021.

Anti-junta fighters in the country have declared a two-week partial ceasefire in quake-affected regions starting Sunday, the shadow "National Unity Government" said in a statement.

The government in exile said it would "collaborate with the UN and NGOs to ensure security, transportation, and the establishment of temporary rescue and medical camps" in areas that it controls, according to the statement, which was released on social media.

Aid agencies have warned that Myanmar is unprepared to deal with a disaster of this magnitude.

Some 3.5 million people were displaced by the raging civil war, many at risk of hunger, even before the quake struck.​

 

[Saif]

Bangladesh at risk of massive earthquake: Fire service

Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet and Mymensingh are among the regions that are at high risk of quake

en.prothomalo.com

Bangladesh at risk of massive earthquake: Fire service
Staff Correspondent
Dhaka
Published: 29 Mar 2025, 17: 33

Bangladesh is at risk of massive earthquakes like in Myanmar and Thailand. Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet and Mymensingh are among the regions that are at high risk of quake.

The Fire Service and Civil Defense made the warning today in the wake of a massive earthquake that battered Myanmar and Thailand on Friday.

The press release said that two powerful earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 6.4 hit different parts of Myanmar and Thailand, causing death and large-scale destruction. There is a risk of similar major earthquakes in Bangladesh. Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Mymensingh regions are at high risk.

The fire service suggests building earthquake-resistant buildings according to the Bangladesh National Building Code is a must to combat earthquakes. Risky and rickety buildings must be renovated and fire prevention measures must be strengthened in multi-storied and commercial buildings.

Also, it must be ensured that gas, water and electricity lines are in good condition. Emergency telephone numbers of fire service, ambulance, police and hospital must be displayed in visible places in all buildings.

Emergency equipment, such as flashlights, radios (with extra batteries), whistles, hammers, helmets, dry food, drinking water, essential medicines, and childcare items should be stored in designated places in the home, says the press release.​

 

[Saif]

This earthquake increased risk for Bangladesh, says expert

There is no alternative to raising widespread public awareness. People must be properly trained and it is essential to establish a system for conducting regular drills.

en.prothomalo.com

This earthquake increased risk for Bangladesh, says expert
Prothom Alo English Desk
Published: 29 Mar 2025, 15: 47

Yesterday, Friday, Myanmar experienced two consecutive earthquakes. The first had a magnitude of 7.7, followed by another earthquake just 12 minutes later, measuring 6.4 in magnitude. The epicentre of the powerful earthquake was near the city of Sagaing in Mandalay, Myanmar.

Sagaing is situated along an extensive fault line that stretches 1,200 kilometres from Arunachal Pradesh in India to the Andaman Sea. Over the past 185 years, this fault has experienced more than seven major earthquakes, the largest of which occurred in 1839 with a magnitude of 8.3.

The recent earthquake caused significant damage more than 1,000 kilometres away in Bangkok, where high-rise buildings and numerous roads were severely affected. Myanmar itself suffered extensive destruction. The earthquake was also felt in parts of China and Bihar, India. This earthquake occurred within the Indo-Burma subduction zone.

A subduction zone is a region where two tectonic plates collide, causing one plate to be forced beneath the other. The Indo-Burma subduction zone extended as far as the south-eastern region of Bangladesh and it’s recognised as an earthquake-prone area.

This Indo-Burma subduction zone is further divided into several sections, including a locked zone and a slow-slip zone. Dangerous earthquakes occur in locked zone and are located at the eastern edge of Bangladesh, towards the western part of the subduction zone.

In addition to these two sub-zones, the Sagaing Fault is also situated within the Indo-Burma subduction zone. This fault lies at the junction of the Shan Plateau and the Central Myanmar Basin, where the recent earthquake originated.

The region is earthquake-prone but possesses some distinct geological characteristics. Previously, in 1930, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Bago, an area situated near the sea. At that time, the earthquake also triggered a tsunami.

From the very beginning, we have maintained that there are two primary sources of earthquakes affecting our region. One is the Indo-Burma subduction zone, located to the east of Bangladesh, while the other is the Dauki Fault and the Himalayan foothill region to the north.

Among these, the subduction zone poses the greatest risk. The locked area of this subduction zone extends from the Sunamganj-Kishoreganj-Meghna River region in Bangladesh to the Manipur-Mizoram region in India. Here, the two tectonic plates are interlocked. The Indian Plate lies beneath, while the Burma Plate is positioned above. This interlocking occurs due to high levels of frictional energy.

To explain this in simpler terms, if you rub a surface covered in oil, it will slip easily; however, if you rub two pieces of sandpaper together, they will resist movement and remain stuck. The locked zone in our region experiences significantly high frictional force, which is why earthquakes occur less frequently.

However, this makes the situation even more hazardous. Why is this dangerous? Because a major earthquake occurred in this region between 800 and 1,000 years ago, releasing a significant amount of stored energy. Since then, new energy has been accumulating and the region now holds the potential for an earthquake of magnitude 8.2 to 9.

The earthquake that occurred yesterday is unrelated to this stored energy. Although it took place within the subduction zone, it was outside our immediate area. However, if one assumes that a large earthquake in the subduction zone has now reduced our risk that would be incorrect. On the contrary, the situation has become even more precarious, as our earthquake-prone zone has now had the opportunity to accumulate more energy, increasing the potential threat.

We must therefore remain prepared. This requires short-term, medium-term and long-term planning. There is no alternative to raising widespread public awareness. People must be properly trained and it is essential to establish a system for conducting regular drills.

* Humayun Akhter, earthquake researcher and former professor at the Department of Geology in Dhaka University.​

 

[Saif]

Bangladesh has sent relief goods for Myanmar.

 

[Saif]

Some more pics.

 

[Saif]

Amid earthquake crisis, Myanmar military still bombs towns

An armed resistance movement against Myanmar's military-run government criticised the junta on Sunday for conducting airstrikes on villages even as the country reels from an earthquake that has killed around 1,700 people..The Karen National Union, one of Myanmar's oldest ethnic armies, sai

www.thedailystar.net

Amid earthquake crisis, Myanmar military still bombs towns

Photo: Reuters

An armed resistance movement against Myanmar's military-run government criticised the junta on Sunday for conducting airstrikes on villages even as the country reels from an earthquake that has killed around 1,700 people.

The Karen National Union, one of Myanmar's oldest ethnic armies, said in a statement that the junta "continues to carry out airstrikes targeting civilian areas, even as the population suffers tremendously from the earthquake".

The group said that under normal circumstances, the military would be prioritising relief efforts, but instead is focused on "deploying forces to attack its people".

A spokesman for the junta did not reply to queries from Reuters about the criticism.

Myanmar has been locked in civil war with multiple armed opposition groups since a 2021 coup, when the military seized power from the elected government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Shortly after Friday's devastating earthquake, military jets launched airstrikes and drone attacks in Karen state, near the KNU headquarters, according to the Free Burma Rangers, a relief organisation.

The epicentre of the 7.7-magnitude quake was in an area held by junta forces, but the devastation is widespread and also affected some territory held by armed resistance movements.

On Sunday, the opposition National Unity Government, which includes remnants of the government ousted in 2021, said anti-junta militias under its command would pause all offensive military action for two weeks.

Richard Horsey, the senior Myanmar adviser at Crisis Group, said some anti-junta forces have halted their offensives but fighting continues elsewhere.

"The regime also continues to launch airstrikes, including in affected areas. That needs to stop," he said.

He added that the regime was not providing much visible support in quake-hit areas.

"Local fire brigades, ambulance crews, and community organisations have mobilised, but the military - who would normally be mobilised to support in such a crisis - are nowhere to be seen," Horsey said.​

 

[Saif]

Scientists explain why Myanmar quake was so deadly

Experts say that the devastating earthquake in Myanmar on Friday was likely the strongest to hit the country in decades, with disaster modeling suggesting thousands could be dead.

en.prothomalo.com

Scientists explain why Myanmar quake was so deadly
AFP
Bangkok
Published: 29 Mar 2025, 14: 05

This aerial photograph shows the site of an under-construction building collapse in Bangkok on 29 March, 2025, a day after an earthquake struck central Myanmar and Thailand. AFP

Experts say that the devastating earthquake in Myanmar on Friday was likely the strongest to hit the country in decades, with disaster modeling suggesting thousands could be dead.

Automatic assessments from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the shallow 7.7-magnitude quake northwest of the central Myanmar city of Sagaing triggered a red alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses.

"High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread," it said, locating the epicentre near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay, home to more than a million people.

Myanmar's ruling junta said on Saturday morning that the number killed had passed 1,000, with more than 2,000 injured.

However, the USGS analysis said there was a 35 per cent chance that possible fatalities could be in the range of 10,000-100,000 people.

The USGS offered a similar likelihood that the financial damage could total tens of thousands of millions of dollars, warning that it might exceed the GDP of Myanmar.

Weak infrastructure will complicate relief efforts in the isolated, military-ruled state, where rescue services and the healthcare system have already been ravaged by four years of civil war sparked by a military coup in 2021.

Dangerous fault

Bill McGuire, emeritus professor of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London (UCL), said it was "probably the biggest earthquake on the Myanmar mainland in three-quarters of a century".

A 6.7-magnitude aftershock struck minutes after the first and McGuire warned that "more can be expected".

Rebecca Bell, a tectonics expert at Imperial College London (ICL), suggested it was a side-to-side "strike-slip" of the Sagaing Fault.

This is where the Indian tectonic plate, to the west, meets the Sunda plate that forms much of Southeast Asia -- a fault similar in scale and movement to the San Andreas Fault in California.

"The Sagaing fault is very long, 1,200 kilometres (745 miles), and very straight," Bell said. "The straight nature means earthquakes can rupture over large areas -- and the larger the area of the fault that slips, the larger the earthquake."

Earthquakes in such cases can be "particularly destructive", Bell added, explaining that since the quake takes place at a shallow depth, its seismic energy has dissipated little by the time it reaches populated areas above.

That causes "a lot of shaking at the surface", Bell said.

Building boom

Myanmar has been hit by powerful quakes in the past.

There have been more than 14 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or above in the past century, including a magnitude 6.8 earthquake near Mandalay in 1956, said Brian Baptie, a seismologist with the British Geological Survey.

Ian Watkinson, from the department of earth sciences at Royal Holloway University of London, said what had changed in recent decades was the "boom in high-rise buildings constructed from reinforced concrete".

Myanmar has been riven by years of conflict and there is a low level of building design enforcement.

"Critically, during all previous magnitude 7 or larger earthquakes along the Sagaing Fault, Myanmar was relatively undeveloped, with mostly low-rise timber-framed buildings and brick-built religious monuments," Watkinson said.

"Today's earthquake is the first test of modern Myanmar's infrastructure against a large, shallow-focus earthquake close to its major cities."

Baptie said that at least 2.8 million people in Myanmar were in hard-hit areas where most lived in buildings "constructed from timber and unreinforced brick masonry" that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking.

"The usual mantra is that 'earthquakes don't kill people; collapsing infrastructure does'," said Ilan Kelman, an expert in disaster reduction at UCL.

"Governments are responsible for planning regulations and building codes. This disaster exposes what governments of Burma/Myanmar failed to do long before the earthquake, which would have saved lives during the shaking."

Skyscraper checks

Strong tremors also rocked neighbouring Thailand, where a 30-storey skyscraper under construction was reduced to a pile of dusty concrete, trapping workers in the debris.

Christian Malaga-Chuquitaype, from ICL's civil and environmental engineering department, said the nature of the ground in Bangkok contributed to the impact on the city, despite being some 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the epicentre in Myanmar.

"Even though Bangkok is far from active faults, its soft soil amplifies the shaking," he said. "This affects especially tall buildings during distant earthquakes."

Malaga-Chuquitaype said the construction techniques in Bangkok favouring "flat slabs" -- where floors are held only by columns without using strengthening beams, like a table supported only by legs -- were a "problematic design".

He said that initial video analysis of the collapsed tower block in Bangkok suggested this type of construction technique had been used.

"It performs poorly during earthquakes, often failing in a brittle and sudden (almost explosive) manner," he said.

Roberto Gentile, a catastrophe risk modelling expert from UCL, said the "dramatic collapse" of the Bangkok tower block meant that "other tall buildings in the city may require a thorough assessment".

Bangkok city authorities said they will deploy more than 100 engineers to inspect buildings for safety after receiving more than 2,000 reports of damage.​