On Friday Afternoon a DESTRUCTIVE M7.7 Earthquake struck near Mandalay in Myanmar.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on March 28th, 2025. Last updated April 28th, 2025.

Under land 11 miles from Mandalay in Myanmar, a DESTRUCTIVE and very strong Magnitude 7.7 earthquake occurred in the early afternoon of Friday March 28th, 2025. Earthquakes this strong in locations like this are likely to cause a high number of fatalities and likely to have a large economic impact. Other nearby countries are China and India.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Myanmar, 11 miles (17 km) west of Mandalay. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 6 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Mar 28, 2025 12:50PM (Yangon Time) - Mar 28, 2025 06:20 Universal Time.
Location:	11 mi west of Mandalay, Myanmar. Coordinates 22°0'5"N 95°55'29"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 7.7 Detected by 121 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.028 .
Depth:	6 mi (10 km) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	X Extreme On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low Tsunami Risk Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at shallow depth can cause tsunami's, but this epicenter appears to have hit under land, making this less likely. Always stay cautious - More info here.

High fatalities and economic impact

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

At least 5350 persons killed, 7830 injured and 530 missing in Myanmar; at least 51 persons killed, 34 injured and 50 missing in Thailand. One person died of shock at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and 2 persons injured at Ruili, China. At least 48834 homes destroyed and 71166 damaged; at least 12585 buildings and 148 bridges destroyed; more than 167 buildings, 198 dams and 184 roadways damaged in Myanmar. At least 591 homes damaged; 3 buildings destroyed and 228 damaged throughout Thailand. At least 847 homes damaged at Ruili, China. A 500 km surface rupture between Kyaukmyaung and Penwegon, Myanmar was confirmed through satellite observations.

Based on scientific estimates by the USGS, the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level RED (high). They expect an 44% likelyhood of between 100,000 and 10,000,000 fatalities, and a 95% chance that the number of fatalities falls between 1,000 and 10,000,000.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level RED (high). They expect an 40% likelyhood of between 100,000 and 10,000,000 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 94% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls between 1,000 and 10,000,000 million USD.

Roughly 260 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 260 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 414,800 people were exposed to level X. At this level, extreme shaking and very heavy damage can be expected. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 164 million). In their region, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected.

People in 9 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Myanmar , around 57 million people, with impact levels up to X (extreme shaking, very heavy damage). Roughly 49 million people were exposed to shaking in Thailand . Roughly 33 million people were exposed to shaking in China . Other countries where people were exposed to shaking include Bangladesh, India, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Bhutan.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Myanmar , China and India are all within 300km distance of its epicenter. Futher away, this earthquake may also have been felt in Bangladesh, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Sagaing in Sagain, Myanmar. Sagaing is located 9 miles (15 km) north-northwest of the epicenter. Sagaing experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IX. That level implies violent shaking and likely heavy damage.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Mandalay is located 11 mi to the east and experienced an intensity of IX (violent shaking, likely heavy damage). Dhaka is located 596 km to the west-northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Chattogram is located 423 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is X.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 1929 people in 15 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1929 people have reported shaking in 226 places in 15 countries (Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand: 427 people.
• Rangoon, Rangun, Myanmar: 131 people.
• Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, Thailand: 123 people.
• Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, Thailand: 102 people.
• Phra Pradaeng, Samut Prakan, Thailand: 102 people.
• Mandalay, Mandalay, Myanmar: 72 people.
• Samut Prakan, Samut Prakan, Thailand: 61 people.
• Lam Luk Ka, Pathum Thani, Thailand: 35 people.
• Pyinmana, Mandalay, Myanmar: 35 people.
• Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nam Bo, Vietnam: 30 people.

61 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 61 smaller aftershocks. A 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit 11 mins later 21 mi (34 km) south of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

This is an unusually powerful earthquake

No earthquake of this strength has struck this region for a long time. Our data goes back 10 years, and no earthquakes measuring a magnitude of 7.7 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.

Low Tsunami Risk

There is a low tsunami risk following this earthquake, as it appears the epicenter was under land far away from the coast. However this was a very strong earthquake at a shallow depth that would have a very high risk at causing tsunami's if it would have occurred under sea. Stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 28/04/25 02:08 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000pn9s
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250328_0000069
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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