- A strong MW 7.7 earthquake occurred at 10 km depth near Mandalay Myanmar (Burma) in the early afternoon of 28 March 2025. Mandalay is Myanmar’s second largest city with more than 1.5 million residents.
- The event was caused by strike-slip faulting and ruptured for 400 km from Mandalay in the north to Pyu in the south.
- The earthquake occurred in a section of the Sagaing Fault, which runs north to south for 1,400 km through the Myanmar Central Basin. The fault is active and has been associated with many damaging earthquakes over recorded history. The 28 March event is the largest since May 1912, when a MW 7.9 earthquake occurred.
- While the epicenter was near Mandalay, extensive damage has occurred along the length of the rupture, with hundreds of buildings collapsed, and widespread damage to roads and other infrastructure
- The north-to-south direction of the rupture, combined with soft soils, propagated energy some 700 km from the end of the rupture into neighboring Thailand, where a skyscraper under construction collapsed in Bangkok. Minor damage was also reported in China.
- At the time of writing, more than 3,000 fatalities have been reported in Myanmar and 22 in Thailand. 2 people were injured in Mainland China.
- Many countries in the region including China, Vietnam, India, Singapore and Thailand have sent specialist teams to Myanmar to help with rescue efforts and many more have pledged aid funding.
Post-Event Report: Mandalay Myanmar Earthquake 4 April Update
A strong Mw 7.7 earthquake struck Myanmar on 28 March 2025 at 12:50 p.m. local time (06:50 UTC) near the city of Mandalay at a depth of 10 km. The event was caused by strike-slip faulting in a section of the Sagaing Fault, which ruptured over a 400-km section running north to south from Mandalay to Pyu.
The shake intensity in parts of the City of Mandalay and the neighbouring town of Sagaing hit MMI IX (Violent) with intensities of MMI VII (Very Strong) to VIII (Severe) experienced over the 400 km length of the rupture (Figure 1).
The US Geological Survey PAGER system estimates that over 55 million people in Myanmar and Thailand were exposed to at least level MMI V (Moderate), at which damage begins to be observed, and 2.6 million were subjected to MMI IX (Violent), the highest level observed for this event.
The Sagaing fault lies on the boundary of the Indian and Eurasian plates and runs for 1,400 km through the length of the Myanmar Central Basin, from near the northern border with India to the Andaman Sea (figure 2).
The plates are moving horizontally in opposite directions (Indian plate moving northward and the Eurasian plate southward) in what is known as a “strike-slip fault.” On the Sagaing fault, the slip rate is about 18 mm per year, similar to the 20 mm/year observed for the San Andreas fault in California and the 17.9 mm/year for the North Anatolian fault in Türkiye.
The Sagaing fault is very active and has been associated with many major earthquakes in Myanmar, including the 1839 Ava, 1912 Maymyo and 1930 Bago events (see Table 1 for more details).
The March 2025 earthquake is thought to have been a “supershear” event, which is characterised by the rupture moving at very high speeds and producing elevated shake intensity. Supershear events are thought to be associated with strike-slip faults. A recent example is the 2023 Türkiye-Syria event.
As the fault ruptured in a north-to-south direction, energy was propagated south toward Thailand, where the shallow depth of the quake along with soft soils contributed to intense shaking in Bangkok despite the city being 700 km from the end of the rupture and 1,000 km from the epicentre. Similar basin effects were witnessed in the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, which was located 350 km from the epicentre, although in this case, soil liquefaction and buildings of more sensitive heights were major factors that increased the observed damage.
Damage Impacts
Myanmar
The majority of the casualties and damages have occurred in Myanmar. The severity of the disaster is difficult to assess, as the Myanmar government has banned most independent media. The fact that the military leaders quickly reached out for international assistance attests to the severity of the event.
As of 3 April, the Myanmar government reports that 3,085 people are known to have died and a further 341 remain missing, with most assumed to be dead. More than 4,700 people have been injured.
Rescue teams have arrived from China, India, Russia, Thailand, Philippines, Bangladesh and Singapore, and humanitarian aid has also started arriving, but the situation remains very difficult.
RMS estimates that 13,500 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, with reports that damaged buildings are continuing to collapse due to aftershocks causing further injuries and deaths.
Mandalay
Extensive damage has been reported in Mandalay and Sagaing, closest to the epicentre. The historic Ava (Inwa) Bridge crossing the Irrawaddy River has collapsed, and damage to other bridges and roads has also been reported, making it difficult to provide aid.
Al Jazeera reported that entire blocks of buildings have been badly damaged or destroyed. The Mandalay International Airport has been damaged, and several buildings at the university have collapsed. Many temples of different religions have also collapsed with large loss of life.
Naypyidaw
Severe damage has been reported in the capital city, with collapsed buildings and damaged and buckled roads. Both modern and historic buildings have been affected.
Burmese language news agencies report that the control tower at the international airport collapsed, as well as parliament buildings, military headquarters and other government buildings. The central hospital was also reported as damaged.
Other cities
Damaged and collapsed buildings have been reported in other cities in the rupture zone. In Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city and main commercial hub, the quake was felt, but only minor damage to some residential areas has been reported, with some disruption to power and phones.
Thailand
The propagation of the seismic waves into Thailand resulted in intense shaking in Bangkok and other cities. As of 4 April, 22 people have been reported killed and dozens injured.
RMS estimates 15,000 damaged or destroyed buildings, and news reports show visible damage on many buildings in Bangkok, Chaing Mai and Lampang. Thai insurance companies are reported to be handling claims for a range of affected properties, including high-rise buildings, office towers, condominiums, hospitals and vehicles in Bangkok and other major cities, according to Asia Insurance Review.
The chairman of the Supalai property development company has stated that around 1,000 high-rise buildings in Bangkok suffered from minor non-structural damage in an interview with Prachachat news agency.
The main media focus has been on the collapse of the partially constructed State Audit Office (SAO) building in Bangkok, which resulted in 14 confirmed fatalities at the time of writing, with more than 70 people still missing. The Nation news agency reports that the building was insured under a contractor all-risk (CAR) policy with a total sum insured of THB 2.241 billion, shared proportionally among Dhipaya Insurance (40%), Bangkok Insurance (25%), Southeast Insurance (now Indra Insurance) (25%), and Viriyah Insurance (10%). The Nation reports that the building was about 30% completed at the time of the collapse, with an estimated insured value of THB 1 billion (approximately USD 30 million), with a 20% deductible to be applied.
The Thai General Insurance Association (TGIA) has estimated that the total claims for the event should not be more than THB 100 billion (USD 2.9 billion), including the loss to the SAO building.
Earthquake is normally covered as part of standard homeowners fire policies up to a limit if THB 20,000 (USD 580) per year, with the possibility of purchasing additional coverage. However, in the wake of the earthquake, the TGIA president Somporn Suebthawilkul, CEO of Dhipaya Group, has stated in an interview for Bangkok Post that this coverage will likely be separated from fire polices and attract additional premiums and sub-limits in the future. Likewise, CAR policies are expected to be limited for earthquake in the future.
TGIA has provided a breakdown of the Thai earthquake insurance policies in effect:
The TGIA is not expecting any issues with capital adequacy with every insurance company purchasing adequate reinsurance.
China
Strong shaking was felt in Yunnan province and parts of Guangxi and Guizhou. Xinhua news agency reports that 2 people were treated for minor injuries and around 850 homes were damaged in the border city of Ruili, about 300 km from the epicentre.
Other countries
Various news agencies are reporting that the earthquake was felt in India, Bangladesh, Laos and Vietnam, but there are no reports at this time of casualties or damage.
Comparison with Historical Events
14 quakes of magnitude 7.0 or above are recorded in the US Geological Survey catalogue for Myanmar since 1900, with the 28 March 2025 event being the second-largest on record. 9 of these events have fallen on or close to the Sagaing fault. The 2 quakes of 1946 struck within 3 minutes and 65 km apart.
