Myanmar Spring Chronicle – Scenes from March 28
(MoeMaKa), March 29, 2026
One year after the Sagaing earthquake, the public still has not recovered
At around 12:50 p.m. on March 28 last year, a major earthquake centered near Sagaing struck for several minutes. It killed thousands of people, injured thousands more, and severely damaged family life, livelihoods, social life, and religious communities.
Geologists say the great fault line running north to south through Myanmar, known as the Sagaing Fault, lies roughly parallel to the Ayeyarwady River. Since human civilizations have traditionally depended on river valleys for farming and used rivers as trade routes, cities were established along riverbanks throughout history. Likewise, in Myanmar, cities and civilizations developed along the banks of the Ayeyarwady River.
Unfortunately, many of the densely populated and developed cities along the river are located very close to the Sagaing Fault.
Because of this long-standing pattern of settlement, whenever major earthquakes strike, as they tend to do roughly once every 80 to 100 years, the people living in these areas suffer enormous destruction and loss.
Among the cities hardest hit by the March 28, 2025 earthquake was Mandalay. High population density and the large number of high-rise buildings were among the main reasons for the high death toll.
Another contributing factor may be that, over successive eras, there was no strict urban planning or enforcement to ensure earthquake-resistant buildings in major cities like Mandalay, which lies close to the Sagaing Fault. At the same time, ordinary people often did not have the financial means to build earthquake-resistant homes.
These conditions contributed to the high number of deaths and injuries caused by the 2025 Sagaing earthquake. Many died when buildings collapsed, while others, though not seriously injured at first, later died after being trapped in the rubble and not rescued in time.
The March 28 earthquake caused not only major destruction in Mandalay and Sagaing, but also serious deaths and damage in Kyaukse, Wundwin, Myittha, Pyawbwe, Tatkon, Yamethin, Naypyidaw, Pyinmana, and the Inle region.
Although earthquakes cannot be predicted in advance, making early warning impossible, there are still preventive measures that can reduce deaths and destruction when earthquakes occur. Governments can inspect dangerous buildings and prohibit their use, strictly enforce construction standards in high-risk earthquake zones, and prepare and train emergency rescue teams in advance. If such measures are in place, casualties and destruction can be reduced.
During last year’s Sagaing earthquake disaster, more than 200 people were killed or injured at the Sky Villa condominium in Mandalay alone. Some people were rescued alive from the rubble, but it can be concluded that many of those who died did so because sufficient rescue resources were not available.
The coup regime was unable to carry out timely rescue operations with adequate equipment and experienced rescue personnel. Domestic fire services and Red Cross teams did what they could in the emergency response, but their efforts were less effective because they lacked modern technology and equipment, such as tools to detect whether people were trapped under rubble and machinery to cut through and remove debris.
After the earthquake, the coup leader appealed for international assistance. Several hours later, emergency rescue teams from some neighboring countries arrived and began rescue work in Mandalay and Naypyidaw.
Myanmar also showed serious weaknesses in opening emergency hospitals and providing treatment for the injured. As a result, some people who were injured later died because they could not receive timely medical care.
The earthquake, which caused the greatest damage in Sagaing, Mandalay, Naypyidaw, and Pyinmana, is estimated to have caused losses worth around US$11 billion. Myanmar’s economy, already badly affected by civil war, was projected by the World Bank three months after the quake to contract by 2.5 percent in the 2025–26 fiscal year.
In a report released toward the end of 2025, however, the World Bank said the signs pointed to an economic contraction of around 2 percent instead.
Beyond reports and international assessments, the actual conditions on the ground in the worst-affected areas show that even one year after the earthquake, recovery is still far from complete. Much of the assistance provided by some countries after the disaster was emergency relief funding. Only a very small share of all aid was directed toward long-term reconstruction.
Even as people grieved for those killed and injured by the earthquake, survivors were also forced to confront the anxiety of how to rebuild destroyed homes and restore lost livelihoods.
The reconstruction situation after the earthquake has been filled with weaknesses and challenges on all sides. Recovery is taking place under the burden of civil war, mismanagement, inflation, and the extreme rise in construction material prices, all of which make rebuilding homes and businesses far more difficult.
For the coup military, however, the earthquake brought a diplomatic advantage. Foreign ministers from some ASEAN member states that had previously avoided formal engagement or travel to Naypyidaw came to discuss earthquake relief and emergency assistance. Although the disaster did not restore the junta’s right to attend ASEAN summits, it did reopen some channels of communication with certain ASEAN leaders.
For the public, the Sagaing earthquake can only be described with the Burmese saying comparable to “when it rains, it pours.” At a time when people were already suffering death, destruction, and hardship because of civil war, the added blow of the earthquake further damaged an already declining economy, society, and political system, trapping people in an even deeper cycle of suffering.
Write to Maung May