Headline Roundup • March 29th, 2025
7.7 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Myanmar, Over 1,600 Expected Deaths
Summary from the AllSides News Team
A 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar on Friday, with its epicenter near Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city. Over 1,600 people are reported dead, and 3,408 more injured. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimates the death toll could exceed 10,000.
The Details: The earthquake was caused by strike-slip faulting along the Sagaing Fault. It was felt across Southeast Asia, including in Thailand, Bangladesh, Vietnam and China. In Bangkok, Thailand, a 33-story skyscraper under construction collapsed.
For Context: Myanmar has been embroiled in a civil war since a military coup in 2021. The junta, historically resistant to foreign aid, has appealed for international assistance. The United States, China and India have pledged support, though political and logistical hurdles may complicate relief efforts.
How The Media Covered It: Coverage from The New York Times (Lean Left bias) and Reuters (Center) placed greater emphasis on Myanmar’s political instability and highlighted the junta’s rare call for assistance in the wake of the earthquake. The New York Times highlighted volunteer and aid efforts in the earthquake’s aftermath. Fox News (Right) framed the earthquake as a major regional disaster, highlighting infrastructure damages and deaths more broadly.
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Featured Coverage of this Story
Photo from Sai Aung Main/Agence France-Presse -- Getty Images
The death toll from the powerful earthquake in Myanmar has reached 1,644, the country’s authorities said on Saturday, even as rescue workers raced against time in search of survivors in the ruins of apartments buildings, monasteries and mosques.
The 7.7-magnitude temblor, which struck just outside Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, on Friday afternoon, sent shock waves around Southeast Asia and even beyond.
Myanmar's military rulers let in hundreds of foreign rescue personnel on Saturday after an earthquake killed more than 1,600 people, the deadliest natural disaster to hit the impoverished, war-torn country in years. Friday's 7.7 magnitude quake, among the biggest to jolt the Southeast Asian nation in the last century, crippled airports, bridges and highways amid a civil war that has wrecked the economy and displaced millions.
(Reuters/Ann Wang)
A massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake rattled Burma and Thailand Friday, causing buildings to collapse as people scrambled for safety. The massive earthquake shook across almost every region of the country and aftershocks were reportedly felt in India and China. The aftershock was reported to have been 6.4 magnitude and was also felt 12 minutes later, the United States Geological Survey (USGS). IS THE EAST COAST ON THE BRINK OF A MAJOR EARTHQUAKE — AND ARE WE PREPARED? "We have started the search and going around Yangon to check for casualties...
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