Myanmar Earthquake LIVE: Flights Rerouted To Yangon As Control Tower At Naypyitaw Airport Collapses; Death Toll At 1,644

Humanitarian operations in Myanmar have been hindered by damaged roads and infrastructure, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Saturday. A 7.7 magnitude earthquake on Friday severely damaged critical infrastructure including major bridges and roads, making it difficult for humanitarian operations to access areas in need, OCHA said.

"Damage to the Yangon-Nay Pyi Taw-Mandalay expressway led to service disruptions, with cracks and surface distortions forcing highway buses to halt operations", the UN agency said in a statement.

The death toll from a major earthquake in Myanmar has risen to 1,644, the ruling junta said Saturday, with 3,408 people injured. A statement from the junta's information team said that at least 139 people are still missing after Friday's shallow 7.7-magnitude quake.,

Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC analysed by AP have shown that the 7.7-magnitude earthquake toppled the air traffic control tower at the Naypyitaw International Airport. Debris lay scattered from the top of the tower which controlled all air traffic in the Myanmar capital.

It also stopped air traffic into the international airport, given all electronics and radar would have been routed into the tower for controllers. Flights carrying rescue teams from China have landed at the airport in Yangon instead of going directly to the airports in the major stricken cities of Mandalay and Naypyitaw, as per AP.

DIG NDRF Mohsen Shahedi says, "The NDRF team has 80 rescuers. It is an urban and search rescue team. It has been sent in two flights, one flight has already taken off (for Myanmar) and the other is about to take off from Hindon Air Base. The next 24-48 hours are very crucial. We also have a reserve team which has been kept in Kolkata, so whenever there is confirmation of sending the second team there, they are ready to takeoff...."

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#WATCH | Delhi: DIG NDRF Mohsen Shahedi says, "The NDRF team has 80 rescuers. It is an urban and search rescue team. It has been sent in two flights, one flight has already taken off (for Myanmar) and the other is about to take off from Hindon Air Base. The next 24-48 hours are… pic.twitter.com/kk8LYDkKoD, — ANI (@ANI) March 29, 2025

India to establish a field hospital in earthquake impacted areas of Myanmar, confirmed the Ministry Of External Affairs Spokersperson Randhir Jaiswal during a press conference.

Just a day after a series of powerful earthquakes ravaged Myanmar, claiming over a thousand lives, the nation was struck by another 5.1-magnitude tremor on Saturday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).The latest seismic activity occurred near Myanmar's capital, Naypyidaw, around 2.50 p.m., at a depth of 10 km. The full extent of damage and potential casualties from this new tremor, which impacted the same regions affected by Friday's earthquakes, remains unclear.Following the initial quake near Sagaing, the region experienced 12 aftershocks, ranging from 2.8 to 7.5 in magnitude, further exacerbating the already dire situation. 

 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday stated that Indian Navy Ships INS Satpura and INS Savitri have headed to Yangon port in Myanmar carrying aid under Operation Brahma.

The ships are carrying 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid for earthquake-hit Myanmar.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said, "Operation Brahma Indian Navy ships INS Satpura & INS Savitri are carrying 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid and headed for the port of Yangon."

Search and rescue works are underway in front of JJ Mall Chatuchak, Bangkok, Thailand, where an under-construction building collapsed after an earthquake of 7.7 magnitude on the Richter scale hit 16 km NNW of Sagaing of Myanmar yesterday.,

#WATCH | Search and rescue works are underway in front of JJ Mall Chatuchak, Bangkok, Thailand, where an under-construction building collapsed after an earthquake of 7.7 magnitude on the Richter scale hit 16 km NNW of Sagaing of Myanmar yesterday pic.twitter.com/fqdYdVkDb9, — ANI (@ANI) March 29, 2025

An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.7 on the Richter Scale hit Myanmar at 2.50 pm IST today, National Center for Seismology said.,

EQ of M: 4.7, On: 29/03/2025 14:50:55 IST, Lat: 19.94 N, Long: 95.96 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Myanmar.
For more information Download the BhooKamp App https://t.co/5gCOtjdtw0 @DrJitendraSingh @OfficeOfDrJS @Ravi_MoES @Dr_Mishra1966 @ndmaindia pic.twitter.com/qgbxLXXQY1, — National Center for Seismology (@NCS_Earthquake) March 29, 2025

India is sending a contingent of 80 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel for relief and rescue works in earthquake-hit Myanmar, officials here said Saturday. The personnel of the federal disaster contingency force are being deployed under 'Operation Brahma' with quake rescue equipment like strong concrete cutters, drill machines, hammers etc. to provide succour to the neighbouring country. "A team of 80 NDRF personnel are being airlifted to Myanmar onboard two IAF sorties from Hindon in Ghaziabad. The teams are expected to reach by Saturday evening," an official told PTI.

In neighbouring Thailand, the quake rocked the greater Bangkok area, home to some 17 million people, and other parts of the country. Bangkok city authorities said so far six people have been found dead, 26 injured and 47 are still missing, most from a construction site near the capital's popular Chatuchak market. On Saturday, more heavy equipment was brought in to move the tons of rubble, but hope was fading among friends and family members of the missing that they would be found alive.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday expressed deep sorrow over the catastrophic earthquake in Myanmar, which has resulted in the loss of over 1,000 lives. In a post on X, PM Modi posted, "Spoke with Senior General H.E. Min Aung Hlaing of Myanmar. Conveyed our deep condolences at the loss of lives in the devastating earthquake. "Under its Act East policy, India has launched 'Operation Brahma' to provide urgent relief to Myanmar. On Saturday, more than 15 tonnes of essential aid were dispatched following a series of powerful tremors that wreaked havoc on Friday.

Highlighting India's unwavering commitment to assisting its neighbours in times of crisis, PM Modi further added, "As a close friend and neighbour, India stands in solidarity with the people of Myanmar in this difficult hour. Disaster relief material, humanitarian assistance, search and rescue teams are being expeditiously dispatched to the affected areas as part of Operation Brahma.",

Spoke with Senior General H.E. Min Aung Hlaing of Myanmar. Conveyed our deep condolences at the loss of lives in the devastating earthquake. As a close friend and neighbour, India stands in solidarity with the people of Myanmar in this difficult hour. Disaster relief material,…, — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 29, 2025

China will provide Myanmar with 100 million yuan ($13.77 million) worth of aid after an earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people, its embassy said on Saturday. The aid will include tents, blankets, emergency medical
kits, food and water and other essential items, with the first batch arriving March 31, according to the Chinese embassy's Facebook page.

A passenger coming from Bangkok, Alok Mittal, says, "The situation was dangerous. Luckily, we were on the ground floor of the mall. All the shopkeepers went out of the mall. We were sitting on the streets for 6 hours... We immediately booked a flight and came back to India.",

#WATCH | Delhi: Myanmar-Thailand earthquake | A passenger coming from Bangkok, Alok Mittal, says, "The situation was dangerous. Luckily, we were on the ground floor of the mall. All the shopkeepers went out of the mall. We were sitting on the streets for 6 hours... We immediately… pic.twitter.com/s8x6IXRTNX, — ANI (@ANI) March 29, 2025

Search and rescue works are underway at JJ Mall Chatuchak, Bangkok, Thailand, where an under-construction building collapsed after an earthquake of 7.7 magnitude on the Richter scale hit 16 km NNW of Sagaing of Myanmar yesterday.,

#WATCH | Search and rescue works are underway at JJ Mall Chatuchak, Bangkok, Thailand, where an under-construction building collapsed after an earthquake of 7.7 magnitude on the Richter scale hit 16 km NNW of Sagaing of Myanmar yesterday pic.twitter.com/GzJyYuXe8d, — ANI (@ANI) March 29, 2025

Susan Hough, a scientist in the USGS's Earthquake Hazards Program, told Reuters it was difficult to predict an earthquake's death toll, for various reasons including timing. When a quake strikes during the daytime, as it did in Myanmar, "people are awake, they have their wits about them, they are better able to respond," she said.
In Bangkok, 1,000 km from the epicentre, a rescue mission stepped up its efforts on Saturday to find construction workers trapped under the rubble of the collapsed 33-storey tower. Authorities used excavators, drones and search-and-rescue dogs to try to extricate the 30 people stuck, including at least 15 still showing signs of life.
"We will do everything, we will not give up on saving lives, we will use all resources," Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said at the site.

A Chinese rescue team arrived in Myanmar's commercial capital of Yangon, hundreds of kilometres from the hard-hit cities on Mandalay and Naypyitaw, the country's purpose-built capital, where parts of a 1,000-bed hospital were damaged.

Russia, India, Malaysia and Singapore were sending planeloads of relief supplies and personnel to Myanmar, which has been ravaged by a civil war after a 2021 military coup ousted an elected civilian government.

The United States, which has a testy relationship with the Myanmar military and has sanctioned its officials, including junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, has said it would provide some assistance.

South Korea said it would provide an initial $2 million in humanitarian aid to Myanmar through international organisations.

Bharati Khurana told ANI that due to the emergency closure of all commercial spaces, they were not able to get taxis to the airport to return home at first. "The situation is fine now, but yesterday it was very bad, where we went out in the market as well but they had closed it due to the emergency, we could go to market. We had a lot of trouble there, then we could not get any taxi at that time. Even emergency vehicles were not found. Before we could not even get a taxi to come to the airport," the tourist told ANI at Delhi airport.

Pranav, another Indian tourist who went to Bangkok remembered how everyone started running away when the hotel they were in started to shake violently.

The death toll from a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar jumped to over 1,000 on Saturday as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of the scores of buildings that collapsed when it struck near the country's second-largest city. The country's military-led government said in a statement that 1,002 people have now been found dead and another 2,376 injured, with 30 others missing. The statement suggested the numbers could still rise, saying “detailed figures are still being collected.”

Myanmar state TV released footage of the country's junta chief General Min Aung Hlaing visiting earthquake disaster sites and a hospital on Friday.

On Saturday the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar said China's President Xi Jinping had spoken with the general. On its Facebook page, the embassy said Xi expressed sympathy over the incident. It did not say when the call took place.

India has dispatched the first tranche of urgent humanitarian aid for the people of Myanmar on Saturday after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar and rocked neighbouring Thailand. A search and rescue team, as well as a medical team, is accompanying this flight.,

#OperationBrahma gets underway.

First tranche of humanitarian aid from India has reached the Yangon Airport in Myanmar.

🇮🇳 🇲🇲 pic.twitter.com/OmiJLnYTwS, — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) March 29, 2025

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that India will continue to monitor the developments and more aid will follow. Indian Air Force C-130 J aircraft carrying approximately 15 tonnes of relief material, including blankets, tarpaulin, hygiene kits, sleeping bags, essential medicines (paracetamol, antibiotics, syringes, cotton bandages and other items), generator sets, hygiene kits, solar lamps, food packets and kitchen set departed from Hindon Air Force Station.

While the USGS said the magnitude of the quake was 7.7, China’s earthquake monitoring system called it a 7.9.

“That degree of difference is just typical of the imprecision” involved in measuring earthquakes, Hough said.

Global estimates of the size of the earthquake range from 200 to 600 kilometers, she added.

“This was a big earthquake," she said.

Myanmar lies on the boundary between two tectonic plates and is one of the world's most seismically active countries, although large and destructive earthquakes have been relatively rare in the Sagaing region. "The plate boundary between the India Plate and Eurasia Plate runs approximately north-south, cutting through the middle of the country," said Joanna Faure Walker, a professor and earthquake expert at University College London.

She said the plates move past each other horizontally at different speeds. While this causes "strike slip" quakes that are normally less powerful than those seen in "subduction zones" like Sumatra, where one plate slides under another, they can still reach magnitudes of 7 to 8.

It is almost 3 a.m. in Myanmar, and we are pausing our live coverage as the number of official and other reports about the quake's damage have slowed.

But we'll provide any major updates on rescue operations when we get them.

In the meantime, you can stay on top of the latest developments from our colleagues here.

Here's what happened on Friday:,

1. Much of the devastation was in Myanmar's second largest city, Mandalay. It lies close to the epicentre of the 7.7 magnitude quake, which struck at lunchtime and was followed by aftershocks.
2. "I have never experienced anything like this before," a rescue worker from Amarapura said.
3. "We received calls for help from people from the inside [of buildings], but we cannot help because we do not have enough manpower and machines to remove the debris, but we will not stop working".
4. Information has been tightly controlled in Myanmar since the military seized power in a 2021 coup.
5. Media and international organisations often rely on images, footage and accounts shared online.