The head of the social action and humanitarian arm of the Catholic Church in Asia has appealed for prayers and solidarity for communities affected by the powerful earthquake that struck central Myanmar on March 28, triggering widespread panic and structural damage across parts of Southeast Asia.
“We ask for your prayers for the communities and countries affected by the powerful earthquake, as we continue to assess the full extent of the damage,” said Dr. Benedict Alo D’Rozario, president of Caritas Asia, in an interview with LiCAS News.
Thailand, where the headquarters of Caritas Asia is located, was also significantly affected, with strong tremors causing the collapse of a government office building under construction in Bangkok, trapping dozens of workers and prompting emergency rescue efforts.
“Our staff in Bangkok are safe, and they have been advised to first check on their families and loved ones,” said D’Rozario, who is currently in Bangladesh. “We are also reaching out to colleagues in the humanitarian sector based in Myanmar and Thailand to ensure their safety.”
D’Rozario said Caritas Asia would coordinate closely with Caritas member organizations in the affected countries to assess the situation on the ground and determine the immediate needs, as well as the scale of support that Church-based humanitarian groups can mobilize in response to the disaster.
“All assessment reports will, of course, be submitted to our headquarters in Rome, Caritas Internationalis. Based on those findings, we will determine the level of support to request from other Caritas member organizations around the world,” he added.
The 7.7-magnitude quake struck northwest of the city of Sagaing on Friday afternoon, followed by a 6.4-magnitude aftershock minutes later, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The shallow tremor caused widespread destruction, particularly in Myanmar, where hospitals and roads were severely damaged and entire structures collapsed.
In Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar, rows of wounded people lay outside the emergency department of the 1,000-bed hospital, some writhing in pain, others motionless and covered in dust and blood.
“This is a mass casualty area,” a hospital official said, as journalists were asked to vacate the treatment zone. The emergency department itself was heavily damaged, its concrete entrance collapsing onto a car, according to a report by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“Many injured people have been arriving, I haven’t seen anything like this before,” a doctor at the hospital told AFP. “We are trying to handle the situation. I’m so exhausted.” Security officials said, “Hundreds of injured people are arriving… but the emergency building here also collapsed.”
Myanmar’s military chief Min Aung Hlaing visited the hospital to inspect the damage and check on the wounded. Outside the facility, traffic was jammed as ambulances struggled to get through, with one paramedic heard pleading, “cars, move aside so the ambulance can get through.”
The tremors were also felt across the region, including in China, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and India. In Thailand, where earthquakes of such magnitude are rare, buildings shook violently, prompting a state of emergency in Bangkok.
In the Thai capital, a 30-story under-construction government tower collapsed, killing at least three workers and trapping 81 others in the rubble. “I heard people calling for help, saying help me,” said Worapat Sukthai, deputy police chief of Bangkok’s Bang Sue district.
“We estimate that hundreds of people are injured, but we are still determining the number of casualties. I fear many lives have been lost. We have never experienced an earthquake with such a devastating impact before,” he added.
An AFP photographer at the site saw ambulances and rescue teams responding as debris from the collapsed structure near Chatuchak market was cleared. Video footage showed the massive building reduced to tangled rubble and steel in seconds.
Across Bangkok and other parts of Thailand, residents rushed out of buildings in panic. “I was shopping inside a mall when I noticed some signs moving, so I quickly ran outside,” said Attapong Sukyimnoi, a broker. “I knew I had to get to an open space—it was instinct.”
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and offered “all possible assistance” to Myanmar and Thailand, placing Indian emergency authorities on standby for any regional requests.
Myanmar, which sits atop the seismically active Sagaing Fault, has experienced strong earthquakes in the past, but Friday’s tremor is one of the most devastating in recent decades, reviving concerns over preparedness and resilience in urban and rural communities.
