On Friday, March 28th, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar and surrounding countries, and racked up a death toll of over 2,000 people. This number is expected to rise as rescue efforts continue. Experts at CNN claim this was the largest earthquake to hit the area in over a century. The earthquake’s epicenter was measured in Myanmar’s capital Mandalay, and is estimated to have impacted around 1.5 million people.
The death toll currently sits at 2,096 people with over 3,000 more people injured. Experts at the United States Geological Survey estimate the final death toll in Southeast Asia could reach 10,000 people.
Even hundreds of miles away in Thailand, the earthquake could be felt. Buildings this far away still managed to collapse with at least another 18 people killed.
Along with human loss, structural damage is heavily present across the region, with hundreds of thousands of people now being displaced from the earthquake. Surrounding areas like China have pledged 13.8 million in humanitarian assistance, and the countries of Ireland, the UK, and Australia are donating an aid package of around 20 million to Myanmar.
Rescue efforts will continue onwards, and the path to recovery from Myanmar and its surrounding areas will continue for years to come.
