Some Things You Need To Know About The Myanmar Earthquake

JAKARTA - Myanmar was hit by a large earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 on Friday (28/3). As a result of the earthquake, Myanmar authorities said on Sunday (30/3), as many as 1,700 people died.

In addition, local authorities also noted that the number of injured victims reached 3,400 people and 300 others were still missing.

The earthquake was also felt in Thailand. A total of 17 people were reported dead, 32 injured, and 83 people missing.

Here are the things that need to be known about the big earthquake in Myanmar.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake, centered in Sagaing, Myanmar, at a depth of 10 kilometers, occurred at 12.50 local time. The first earthquake was followed by the next earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 12 minutes later.

Sagaing is a city located near Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city after Yangon.

The city of Mandalay, which has a population of more than one million people, is about 260 kilometers from Myanmar's capital, Naypyidaw.

The top layer of the earth is divided into several parts, called tectonic plates, all of which are constantly moving.

Some are side by side, while others are above and below each other. This movement causes earthquakes and volcanoes.

Myanmar is considered one of the most geologically "active" regions in the world, because it is located above the meeting of four tectonic plates. The four are Eurasian plates, Indian plates, Sundanese plates, and Myanmar microplates.

The Himalayan Mountains formed as a result of the impact of Indian plates with Eurasian plates and 2004 tsunamis due to the movement of Indian plates under Myanmar's micro-plates.

There is a large fault called the Sagaing fault, which divides Myanmar from north to south and is more than 1,200 kilometers long.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake that occurred in Myanmar on March 28, 2025, occurred due to a sliding fault between the Indian and Eurasian plates.

Preliminary data suggest that the movement that caused the earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 on March 28 was a "strike-slip" - where two blocks move horizontally to each other. This is in line with the typical movement of Sagaing faults.

Based on the USGS interactive map, the areas affected by the Myanmar earthquake are Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Laos and southwest China.

Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, which is about 1,300 kilometers from Sagaing, also experienced shocks where high buildings there collapsed due to the earthquake.

The death toll from the earthquake reached 1,700 people; injured victims reached 3,400 people, and 300 people are still missing.

Crematorium in Mandalay struggles to contain the increasing death toll.

According to a Myanmar Now report, large cemeteries such as Kyanikan, Taung-Inn and Myauk-Inn were overwhelmed with the bodies that piled up as families tried to cremate the bodies of their relatives.

So far, the funeral authorities have cremated around 500 bodies starting Saturday (29/3).

The Indonesian government will send humanitarian assistance to the people of Myanmar following the earthquake that rocked Myanmar and Thailand on Friday (28/3).

According to a press release from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu), Sunday (30/3), the assistance includes sending SAR personnel, emergency medical personnel (Emergency Medical Team) to provide first aid, as well as logistical assistance worth one million US dollars (around Rp. 16.5 billion).

In addition, two members of the Indonesian unit who are part of the ASEAN-Emergency Response and AssessmentTeam (ASEAN-ERAT) and the AHA Center arrived in Myanmar on Sunday night. The preliminary team with 10 personnel departed on Monday with some medical and logistical assistance which is a donation from the Indonesian people.

Apart from Indonesia, foreign ministers of member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) emphasized that humanitarian assistance for victims of the Myanmar and Thailand earthquakes must be distributed quickly and without discrimination.

The regional response also included the placement of the ASEAN Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ERAT), mobilizing aid supplies through the ASEAN Disaster Emergency Logistics System (DELSA), and contributions from the Urban Search and Rescue Operations (USAR) team in several ASEAN member countries.

Other countries that have sent aid to Myanmar so far are Malaysia, China, Russia, Singapore.