Yesterday’s earthquake was caused by the famous Sagaing Fault. The fault has not had a major earthquake for almost a hundred years and is now active again. The damage caused by the earthquake is not only to Mandalay but also to the cities along the fault line.
The epicenter of the earthquake, Sagaing, and Mandalay were the worst affected. Many houses and buildings collapsed in Mandalay, especially in the epicenter. Sagaing was also severely damaged, but the situation in Sagaing was not known for certain due to road and internet outages. One bridge over the Ayeyarwady River between Sagaing and Mandalay collapsed and another was closed due to the landslide, leaving Sagaing and Mandalay almost completely cut off from communication.
It will also be difficult to provide aid to Mandalay. The Yangon-Mandalay Expressway has collapsed and the expressway has been badly damaged. In addition, the earthquake damaged the Mandalay International Airport and closed the airport. Worse than Mandalay Airport, Nay Pyi Taw International Airport. The Nay Pyi Taw Airport air traffic control tower collapsed, killing all the crew members on the tower. Nay Pyi Taw, the seat of the military council, which is located on the earthquake fault line, is also in a bad state. Government buildings and staff housing have been destroyed.
In addition, in Aung Pan, Shan State, the Aung Pan Hotel collapsed, trapping many people. There is also damage to the famous Inle Lake. The death toll from the powerful earthquake is also rising. The death toll has exceeded 300 in less than 24 hours. I pray that the damage will be as minimal as possible.
