Myanmar quake strikes China’s belt and road heartland: how bad is it?

Name: Powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes Myanmar, buildings sway and fall in Bangkok
Uploaded: 2025-03-28T09:34:57.000Z
Duration: 2 min 26 s
Description: Powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes Myanmar, buildings sway and fall in Bangkok

Deadly quake prompts worries about Sino-Myanmar pipelines, a strategic overland route for China’s oil and gas imports from the Middle East

Reading Time:3 minutes

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Firefighters prepare to deploy drones to survey the quake-affected area in Ruili, in southwest China’s Yunnan province bordering Myanmar, on March 28. Photo: Xinhua

Holly Chik,Victoria Bela,Shi Huang,Yuanyue DangandSylvie Zhuang

Published: 5:34pm, 28 Mar 2025Updated: 1:28am, 29 Mar 2025

The impact on a key Chinese energy corridor is being closely monitored after a deadly earthquake hit Myanmar on Monday afternoon, with tremors felt in neighbouring countries including China, Thailand and Bangladesh.

The quake, which struck at 12.50pm local time (GMT+6), has been reported to be the most powerful to hit Myanmar in decades and has triggered widespread alarm across Southeast Asia.

More than 50 people were killed and at least 300 injured in Myanmar, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing local media in the country, which has been caught up in a civil war since a February 2021 military coup.

Thai capital Bangkok declared a state of emergency after a 30-storey building under construction collapsed in the city, leaving dozens of workers trapped or missing.

Strong tremors were also reported in China’s southwestern province of Yunnan, with two people slightly injured in Ruili, a city bordering Myanmar, CCTV said.

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Powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes Myanmar, buildings sway and fall in Bangkok

Other Chinese media outlets also reported injuries and some damage to houses in Ruili, with rescue operations under way.