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Epaper Friday, July 18, 2025

World

Earthquake of magnitude 3.7 strikes Myanmar

July 17, 2025 10:24 AM

Naypyidaw : An earthquake of magnitude 3.7 struck Myanmar in the early hours of Thursday, a statement by the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said. As per the NCS, the earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 83km, making it susceptible to aftershocks. In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 3.7, On: 16/07/2025 22:59:30 IST, Lat: 25.60 N, Long: 95.07 E, Depth: 83 Km, Location: Myanmar."


Earlier on Wednesday, another earthquake of magnitude 4.6 struck the region. As per the NCS, "EQ of M: 4.6, On: 16/07/2025 02:27:39 IST, Lat: 21.91 N, Long: 96.10 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Myanmar." On July 14, too, the NCS reported another earthquake of magnitude 3.9 to have occurred in the region at a depth of 10km. In a post on X, it said, "EQ of M: 3.9, On: 14/07/2025 02:34:07 IST, Lat: 23.02 N, Long: 95.52 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Myanmar."


Shallow earthquakes are generally more dangerous than deep earthquakes. This is because the seismic waves from shallow earthquakes have a shorter distance to travel to the surface, resulting in stronger ground shaking and potentially more damage to structures and greater casualties.


In the aftermath of the magnitude 7.7 and 6.4 earthquakes that struck central Myanmar on March 28, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a series of rapidly rising health threats for tens of thousands of displaced people in earthquake-affected areas: tuberculosis (TB), HIV, vector- and water-borne diseases.


Myanmar is vulnerable to hazards from moderate and large magnitude earthquakes, including tsunami hazards along its long coastline. The Sagaing Fault elevates the seismic hazard for Sagaing, Mandalay, Bago, and Yangon, which together represent 46 per cent of the population of Myanmar. Although Yangon is relatively far from the fault trace, it still suffers from significant risk due to its dense population. For instance, in 1903, an intense earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 that occurred in Bago also struck Yangon.

 

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