Earthquake destroys 80 per cent of Myanmar’s Sagaing township

Earthquake destroys 80 per cent of Myanmar’s Sagaing township
This UGC photo taken and posted by Hla Myo Aung on Facebook on March 28, 2025 shows a damaged building in Sagaing, following an earthquake. (Photo by Handout / Courtesy of Facebook user Hla Myo Aung / AFP)
This UGC photo taken and posted by Hla Myo Aung on Facebook on March 28, 2025 shows a damaged building in Sagaing, following an earthquake. (Photo by Handout / Courtesy of Facebook user Hla Myo Aung / AFP)

According to the Committee Representing Sagaing Hluttaw, the March 28 earthquake destroyed about 80 per cent of the Sagaing township’s urban areas. It also said that emergency aid is needed, and relief efforts are in progress in areas under the control of the National Unity Government (NUG).

“As the earthquake occurred near Min Won Valley, the two-storey buildings, monasteries and other religious structures in the surrounding villages collapsed. The two-storey brick buildings were mostly damaged,” Zaw Hlaing Thein, secretary of the Committee Representing Sagaing Hluttaw said on 30 March.

According to the list compiled as of 30 March morning, the earthquake has caused at least 18 deaths and 80 injuries in Sagaing township’s NUG-controlled areas.

The earthquake not only damaged urban areas but also rural areas, and cash assistance is being given to those affected in NUG-controlled areas, according to Zaw Hlaing Thein.

According to him, each deceased person is receiving 300,000 kyats from the revenue collected, and each injured person is receiving 50,000 kyats.

Additionally, an emergency response committee has been established by the NUG’s People’s Administration team of Sagaing Township, and relief efforts are currently in progress.

According to a local resident, emergency assistance is needed because the earthquake severely damaged the buildings in Sagaing’s urban areas.

After the earthquake, the Innwa bridge collapsed and the Yadanabon bridge developed fractures, making it difficult to communicate by road between Sagaing and Mandalay.

According to a local, there are numerous challenges due to the insufficient emergency rescue equipment, and phone lines were also down.

According to certain relief organizations, more than 100 dead bodies had been found as of the evening of 29 March. The relief organizations are still working today.

The No (3) inter-district road was completely destroyed by the earthquake. Road blockages and damages also occurred in the inter-village roads.

The people’s defence organizations (also known as Pa Ka Pha) and the battalions and units under the NUG are working together to remove the debris using manpower, equipment, and even, elephants, according to the People’s administration team of Sagaing township.

On the evening of 29 March, the NUG announced that it will first spend $1 million USD to give immediate relief and treatment to individuals affected by the earthquake throughout the country and in its controlled areas using all available means.

It further declared its intention to establish temporary rescue camps and to offer security and transportation services to international organizations, INGOs, UN relief teams, and other groups so they can conduct emergency relief and treatment activities in its controlled territories.

The townships in Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw, Sagaing, Bago, and Shan State suffered significant damage as a result of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck central Myanmar at 12:50 pm on 28 March.

At 8:00 pm on 29 March, the junta’s news media reported that 1,644 persons had been killed, 3,408 had been injured, and 139 were still missing as a result of the earthquake.

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