April 7, 2025
National
National
KOTA KINABALU, April 6 — Those responsible for the brutal killing of Borneo pygmy elephants in Sabah will face the full force of the law, warns Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew.
SINGAPORE, March 29 — A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar’s Sagaing region near Mandalay on Friday, causing widespread destruction and shaking neighboring Thailand.
How Vulnerable Is Myanmar to Earthquakes?
Myanmar sits along the boundary of two tectonic plates, making it one of the world’s most seismically active countries. However, major earthquakes in the Sagaing region have been relatively rare.
“The plate boundary between the India Plate and the Eurasia Plate runs roughly north-south, cutting through the middle of Myanmar,” explained Joanna Faure Walker, a professor and earthquake expert at University College London.
She noted that the plates move past each other at different speeds, causing "strike-slip" earthquakes. While these are typically less powerful than those in "subduction zones" like Sumatra—where one plate slides under another—they can still reach magnitudes of 7 to 8.
Why Was Friday’s Quake So Destructive?
The Sagaing region has experienced several earthquakes in recent years, including a 6.8-magnitude quake in 2012 that killed at least 26 people and injured dozens.
However, Friday’s earthquake was likely the largest to hit mainland Myanmar in 75 years, according to Bill McGuire, another UCL earthquake expert.
Roger Musson, an honorary research fellow at the British Geological Survey, told Reuters that the quake’s shallow depth made it especially destructive. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported its epicenter at just 10 km (6.2 miles) below the surface.
“This is particularly damaging because the quake occurred at a shallow depth, meaning the shockwaves weren’t significantly weakened before reaching the surface. As a result, buildings endured the full force of the shaking,” Musson explained.
He also cautioned against focusing too much on the epicenter, noting that seismic waves radiate along the entire fault line rather than just a single point.
How Prepared Was Myanmar?
The USGS Earthquake Hazards Program estimated that fatalities could range between 10,000 and 100,000, with economic losses potentially reaching up to 70 percent of Myanmar’s GDP.
Musson said these projections are based on past earthquake data and Myanmar’s level of preparedness. The rarity of major seismic events in the Sagaing region—especially near Mandalay, a heavily populated area—meant that buildings were not designed to withstand such strong tremors.
The last major earthquake in the region was in 1956, meaning many structures were unlikely built to endure the powerful forces that struck on Friday.
“Most of Myanmar’s seismic activity occurs further west, but this quake ran down the center of the country,” Musson added. — Reuters
