An earthquake of magnitude 7.9 occurred in Myanmar at 14:20 local time on March 28, 2025，with a focal depth of 30 kilometers. The epicenter was located at 21.85 degrees north latitude and 95.95 degrees east longitude. The epicenter of the earthquake is very close to Mandalay, the second largest city in Myanmar, and all the energy of the strong earthquake will be released along the densely populated Irrawaddy River, which was strongly felt in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar. The epicenter is 294 kilometers away from the nearest borderline of China, causing strong tremors in Xishuangbanna, Dehong, Kunming, Lijiang, Baoshan, Dali and other places in Yunnan, and there is also tremor feedback in Guizhou and Guangxi.This earthquake is the 17th magnitude 6 or above quake globally so far this year, the strongest seismic event of the year, and the most powerful continental earthquake worldwide in the past decade.

The cause of this earthquake relates to geological structures and plate movements. Myanmar is situated in the eastern segment of the Himalayan-Myanmar orogenic belt, where the Indian Plate subducts northward beneath the Eurasian Plate at a rate of approximately 5 centimeters per year.According to monitoring by the China Earthquake Networks Center, the focal mechanism solution indicates a strike-slip rupture, with the fault displacement reaching several meters. This directly triggered the fracturing of the Mandalay-Yangon highway and caused glass curtain walls of high-rise buildings to shatter.

According to the latest data released by the News and Information Team of the Myanmar State Administration Council on the afternoon of the 29th, the powerful earthquake that struck on the 28th has resulted in 1,007 deaths and 2,389 injuries across all affected regions of the country, with 30 others still missing.

(Image source: CCTV News Client)