14 Provinces Affected by Earthquake, Relief Efforts Underway

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of DDPM

 

The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) has reported widespread damage across 14 provinces following what they stated as a powerful 8.2-magnitude earthquake centered in Myanmar. The quake, which struck on the  afternoon of 28 March, at a depth of 10 kilometers, was felt in 57 provinces across Thailand.

 

At a press conference held on the morning of 29 December, at the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Command Center, DDPM Director-General Phasakorn Boonyaluck provided an update on the situation and ongoing relief efforts.

 

 

Authorities have recorded 56 aftershocks, ranging from 2.8 to 7.1 in magnitude. Nine people have been confirmed dead and multiple missing, mostly in Bangkok, where a 30-story building under construction collapsed in Chatuchak district. A construction crane also fell in Bang Sue, resulting in one fatality.

 

Emergency disaster zones have been declared in Pathum Thani and Phrae, as well as Bangkok, where the entire metropolitan area has been classified as a disaster-affected zone.

 

Damage Reports Across Affected Provinces

 

Northern Region

 

• Chiang Mai: Several buildings, including Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital’s parking structure, residential condominiums, and Wat San Sai Ton Kok temple, sustained structural damage.

 

• Chiang Rai: Cracks appeared in Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital, and a concrete beam at Pa Daet railway station collapsed onto six vehicles.

 

• Lampang & Lamphun: Damage to homes, schools, temples, and hospitals, including cracks in the walls of Lampang Hospital and a collapsed gate at Wat Phanit Sitthikaram in Lamphun.

 

• Mae Hong Son: Cracks reported in the provincial hall and hospitals in Pai, Khun Yuam, and Sop Moei districts.

 

Central Region

 

• Bangkok: The collapse of an under-construction high-rise in Chatuchak, a crane incident in Bang Sue, and ceiling damage on the 17th floor of Phra Nang Klao Hospital in Nonthaburi.

 

• Pathum Thani: Declared a disaster zone due to extensive structural damage.

 

• Ayutthaya: Water tank collapse in Lat Bua Luang district.

 

• Chai Nat: The crematorium at Wat Lat Senabodi was damaged.

 

Eastern and Southern Regions

 

• Samut Prakan: Cracks appeared at Wat Protket Chettharam.

 

• Samut Sakhon: Minor structural damage to Samut Sakhon Hospital.

 

• Phetchabun & Sukhothai: Reports of damage to agricultural buildings and warehouses.

 

DDPM have deployed Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams with 48 personnel and life-detection equipment to locate missing individuals. The DDPM has coordinated efforts with the military, police, local governments, private sector, and volunteers to provide aid and assess further damage.

 

In Bangkok, emergency SMS alerts were sent to the public, advising safety measures before, during, and after the quake. The Ministry of Interior has ordered all 18 regional disaster prevention centers to remain on high alert, ready to dispatch additional equipment and personnel.

 

Authorities continue to monitor the situation and assess the full extent of the damage, with ongoing search and rescue efforts in the hardest-hit areas.

 

-- 2025-03-30

 

[hotsun]

Thailand is not even prepared for the floods they get every year. They stand no chance vs earthquakes

[Captain Flack]

A trolling rant, making little sense has been removed.

[sammieuk1]

 No damage I have seen in HH looks like we dodged a bullet' unlike the poor souls of Burma that has been leveled and Bangkok now with a lot of nervy condo dwellers and underlying structural damage 🙏🤔

[watchcat]

  On 3/29/2025 at 9:12 PM, hotsun said:

Thailand is not even prepared for the floods they get every year. They stand no chance vs earthquakes

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Probably not.

[JimHuaHin]

So many hospitals impacted.   Why?

[actonion]

I wonder how many of these cracks were there before the tremor

[connda]

One thing about earthquakes.  You get immediate feedback regarding your building's construction quality.  Most buildings suffered no damage, but a few in the same geographic area suffer significant damage.  Funny how that works?

[SLOWHAND225]

  On 3/30/2025 at 2:50 AM, connda said:

One thing about earthquakes.  You get immediate feedback regarding your building's construction quality.  Most buildings suffered no damage, but a few in the same geographic area suffer significant damage.  Funny how that works?

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The randomness in an earthquakes destruction is something to see. I've seen several hundred homes that have slid entirely off their foundations with just random ones mixed in that never moved and look good as new.
Streets and highways where the earth lifted 8' and sunk 8' on opposite sides of the crack and the gap between them is 3-6" and an easy 20' deep 

[sandyf]

  On 3/29/2025 at 9:12 PM, hotsun said:

Thailand is not even prepared for the floods they get every year. They stand no chance vs earthquakes

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Remind us, how much of Thailand gets flooded every year. Bangkok is an individual situation and cannot be classed as Thailand.

Same with 2011, not an "every year" event.

Tell us how many buildings fell down in Bangkok during the 2008 earthquake.

 

Why do some feel compelled to indulge in Thai bashing at every opportunity.

[Tarteso]

  On 3/30/2025 at 1:14 AM, JimHuaHin said:

So many hospitals impacted.   Why?

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The oldest with humidity and old structures

[connda]

  On 3/29/2025 at 9:12 PM, hotsun said:

Thailand is not even prepared for the floods they get every year. They stand no chance vs earthquakes

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This is an earthquake prone region.  They aren't rare.  This one:

May 5, 2014: Magnitude 6.1
"Epicenter near Mae Lao, Chiang Rai Province, approximately 70 km northeast of Chiang Mai. This quake, known as the Mae Lao earthquake."

I was living primary in Chiang Mai at the time. The apartment I was in had a significant shake.
 

The last fairly large one was here:

November 21, 2019: Magnitude 6.2
Epicenter about 260 km east-northeast of Chiang Mai

Northern Thailand has a number of active fault lines:

 

However several techtonic plates converge in Myanmar, including the Indian, Eurasian, Sunda, and Burma microplates which make up the Sagaing Fault which is the primary major fault line in Myanmar, stretching approximately 1,200 km through central Myanmar. And this baby creates some large earthquakes as we have just experienced. Although there are fault lines outside of Northern Thailand, they haven't historically created much in the way of major earthquake activity.  Thailand is more exposed to large earthquakes produced on the Sagaing Fault like we just experienced or on other fault lines in the surrounding area.

[connda]

  On 3/30/2025 at 3:02 AM, SLOWHAND225 said:

The randomness in an earthquakes destruction is something to see. I've seen several hundred homes that have slid entirely off their foundations with just random ones mixed in that never moved and look good as new.
Streets and highways where the earth lifted 8' and sunk 8' on opposite sides of the crack and the gap between them is 3-6" and an easy 20' deep 

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Sorta like the fickleness of tornadoes.  One house destroyed, the house next to it untouched.

[connda]

  On 3/29/2025 at 8:16 PM, Georgealbert said:

Lampang & Lamphun: Damage to homes, schools, temples, and hospitals, including cracks in the walls of Lampang Hospital and a collapsed gate at Wat Phanit Sitthikaram in Lamphun.

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We're cool. No damage here in our neck of the woods in NE Lamphun.  But then we sit on some really solid mountain bedrock. 

[dinsdale]

The building that came down was basically finished structurally. It should not have come down. Chinese company. People will need to be held to account. 

[WHansen]

Lets hope that all the missing persons are rescued safely.

My heart goes out to those that have lost loved ones and friends. So sad.

[jacnl2000]

 

Agree with previous poster. Given that the China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) with a history spanning over seven decades has worked in earthquake-prone regions before, it’s expected that they would have experience in implementing earthquake-resistant designs, including a comprehensive understanding of constructing on soft clay substrates, utilizing various ground improvement methods to ensure structural integrity.

 

Sad that the current situation unfortunately cannot be undone, but that doesn't mean we can no longer share nice moments with each other in Bangkok's highest tower. My apologies to Oliver Zipse for covering his BMW X7—guess even a luxury SUV needs a little privacy sometimes.

 

A picture of shaky buildings perched on a wobbly jelly cake, topped with cherries, is far from reassuring.  Concept of unforeseen seismic activity might be introduced—when the intensity or characteristics of an earthquake exceeds previous expectations or building standards. It was an exceptional heavy one shaking up the design book.

[MikeandDow]

  On 3/30/2025 at 10:21 AM, jacnl2000 said:

 

Agree with previous poster. Given that the China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) with a history spanning over seven decades has worked in earthquake-prone regions before, it’s expected that they would have experience in implementing earthquake-resistant designs, including a comprehensive understanding of constructing on soft clay substrates, utilizing various ground improvement methods to ensure structural integrity.

 

Sad that the current situation unfortunately cannot be undone, but that doesn't mean we can no longer share nice moments with each other in Bangkok's highest tower. My apologies to Oliver Zipse for covering his BMW X7—guess even a luxury SUV needs a little privacy sometimes.

 

A picture of shaky buildings perched on a wobbly jelly cake, topped with cherries, is far from reassuring.  Concept of unforeseen seismic activity might be introduced—when the intensity or characteristics of an earthquake exceeds previous expectations or building standards. It was an exceptional heavy one shaking up the design book.

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Well why??  this so called expert company!   building a Table top design building,  when a table top design is well know  not for unstable soils and not earthquake proof !!     its because Its Cheap !!!

[KannikaP]

The earthquake was 7.7 on every other news/website, not 8.2.

[Drumbuie]

  On 3/30/2025 at 10:21 AM, jacnl2000 said:

 

Agree with previous poster. Given that the China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) with a history spanning over seven decades has worked in earthquake-prone regions before, it’s expected that they would have experience in implementing earthquake-resistant designs, including a comprehensive understanding of constructing on soft clay substrates, utilizing various ground improvement methods to ensure structural integrity.

 

Sad that the current situation unfortunately cannot be undone, but that doesn't mean we can no longer share nice moments with each other in Bangkok's highest tower. My apologies to Oliver Zipse for covering his BMW X7—guess even a luxury SUV needs a little privacy sometimes.

 

A picture of shaky buildings perched on a wobbly jelly cake, topped with cherries, is far from reassuring.  Concept of unforeseen seismic activity might be introduced—when the intensity or characteristics of an earthquake exceeds previous expectations or building standards. It was an exceptional heavy one shaking up the design book.

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CREC has seven decades of experience of building railways, smoothing gradients, tracklaying etc - but no experience of building high rises. 

 

Contracting them was a bit like asking a bus driver to tailor your suit. 

 

CREC was the company whose railway tunnel collapsed last year in Nakhon Ratchasima. Some of their officials were caught yesterday trying to remove files from the Audit building site. 

 

 

[MikeandDow]

  On 3/31/2025 at 2:38 AM, Drumbuie said:

CREC has seven decades of experience of building railways, smoothing gradients, tracklaying etc - but no experience of building high rises. 

 

Contracting them was a bit like asking a bus driver to tailor your suit. 

 

CREC was the company whose railway tunnel collapsed last year in Nakhon Ratchasima. Some of their officials were caught yesterday trying to remove files from the Audit building site. 

 

 

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What iam reading from the news is that some of the documents were requests for Inspections, normally you dont request Inspections, what i think is the  wrong terminology has been used here,  my bet is the documents were NCR reports ( non comformace reports ) which are used to list defects found and to be addressed by the contractor

The question has to be asked Why was CREC even on a tender list for the project if it did not have no experience of building high rises

[Humpy]

Will I get any 'Relief Effort' for my beer that fell off the side table as I watched my pool demonstrating the tsunami effect ?

[ignore it]

Pattaya City Council reports no new cracks in the sidewalks.

[rtco]

  On 3/31/2025 at 2:53 AM, MikeandDow said:

The question has to be asked Why was CREC even on a tender list for the project if it did not have no experience of building high rises

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The "Big C" of course and not the shopping conglomerate

[fondue zoo]

Anyone else hear that they've evacuated the above ground floors of the Chaeng Watthana Government Complex in Bangkok in the last 30 minutes?

Sinking and or leaning.

 

UPDATE

The cracks and tilt were present before the quake, everyone back to work. You do you Thailand.

[MikeandDow]

  On 3/31/2025 at 3:56 AM, fondue zoo said:

Anyone else hear that they've evacuated the above ground floors of the Chaeng Watthana Government Complex in Bangkok in the last 30 minutes?

Sinking and or leaning.

 

UPDATE

The cracks and tilt were present before the quake, everyone back to work. You do you Thailand.

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https://world.thaipbs.or.th/detail/evacuation-at-government-complex-as-building-shakes/57048

[rickudon]

In Udon Thani never felt it, Even 2 dogs slept through it.

[Burma Bill]

  On 3/29/2025 at 8:16 PM, Georgealbert said:

damage to Samut Sakhon Hospital.

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  On 3/29/2025 at 8:16 PM, Georgealbert said:

Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital’s parking structure,

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  On 3/29/2025 at 8:16 PM, Georgealbert said:

Cracks appeared in Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital,

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  On 3/29/2025 at 8:16 PM, Georgealbert said:

cracks in the walls of Lampang Hospital

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  On 3/29/2025 at 8:16 PM, Georgealbert said:

hospitals in Pai, khun Yuam and Sop Moei districts

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  On 3/29/2025 at 8:16 PM, Georgealbert said:

 

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rather disconcerting - all HOSPITALS! Did the Chinese build these as well?

[Georgealbert]

This report is based in the information given out by the DDPM, I am not changing the reported size of the earthquake, when it is taken from the quote by DDPM Director-General Phasakorn Boonyaluck provided.

 

Off topic attacks on the article, because of this has been removed.

 

“The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) has reported widespread damage across 14 provinces following what they stated as a powerful 8.2-magnitude earthquake centered in Myanmar. The quake, which struck on the  afternoon of 28 March, at a depth of 10 kilometers, was felt in 57 provinces across Thailand.

 

At a press conference held on the morning of 29 December, at the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Command Center, DDPM Director-General Phasakorn Boonyaluck provided an update on the situation and ongoing relief efforts.”

[Burma Bill]

  On 3/29/2025 at 8:16 PM, Georgealbert said:

a powerful 8.2-magnitude earthquake centered in Myanmar. (Near Mandalay)

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No doubt not many of AN subscribers will be interested, but I wonder if Simon43 is okay, having recently returned to Mandalay. His contributions from Burma, Mandalay in particular, were very interesting to read (IMO).