Myanmar earthquake: India’s Nationwide Centre for Seismology says soil liquefaction triggered extreme injury

Rescuers resume operations on the Chatuchak website of a skyscraper collapse on March 29, 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand. Within the aftermath of the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar, Bangkok finds itself in an unprecedented state of paralysis on March 28, 2025.
| Picture Credit score: Getty Photos

India’s earthquake monitoring company, the Nationwide Centre for Seismology (NCS), has stated the earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand on Friday (March 28, 2025) afternoon triggered extreme injury as a result of its shaking matched the pure vibration of buildings.

Soil liquefaction was additionally a significant reason behind the injury, stated O.P. Mishra, head of the NCS.

Soil liquefaction occurs throughout a powerful earthquake, when the bottom begins appearing like a liquid as a substitute of strong land.

This normally happens in locations with free, moist soil like sandy areas close to rivers or the coast. When the earthquake shakes the bottom, the water between the soil particles pushes them aside, making the soil lose its power.

Because of this, buildings, roads and different constructions might sink, tilt or collapse, Mr. Mishra defined.

Thailand’s capital Bangkok, which is greater than 1,000 km away from the epicentre in Myanmar’s Mandalay, suffered important injury because the rupture’s course was in direction of it, he stated.

The NCS stated seven aftershocks, ranging in magnitude from 3.5 to 7, adopted the principle earthquake of magnitude 7.5, which struck Mandalay round 11:50 a.m. (IST).

Northeast India additionally felt the principle earthquake and its aftershocks.

The company stated the earthquake was attributable to the Sagaing Fault, a significant fault line positioned 1,200 km east of the Indo-Burma subduction zone. The vitality from the earthquake unfold in direction of Bangkok.

One other main motive for the injury was that the earthquake’s shaking frequency matched the pure vibration of buildings, making these extra weak, the NCS stated.

“The rupture course is in direction of Bangkok, inflicting extreme injury to constructions within the area on account of liquefactions and the matching of the earthquake-shaking frequency with the spectral frequency of the constructions,” it stated.

A powerful aftershock of magnitude 7 occurred simply 12 minutes later, about 90 km southwest of the epicentre of the primary earthquake, the NCS stated.

It stated the area has skilled main earthquakes up to now, together with a magnitude-7.5 earthquake in 1912 and a magnitude-7.2 earthquake in 1956.

Media stories stated the earthquake killed a minimum of three individuals in Bangkok and buried dozens when a high-rise constructing below building collapsed.

Myanmar’s military-run authorities has declared a state of emergency in six areas and states, together with capital Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay, the stories stated.