Thailand has declared a state of emergency in Bangkok after a powerful earthquake struck neighbouring Myanmar.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra declared the capital city an ’emergency zone’ after dozens of buildings were severely damaged in the tremor. He has also called on everyone to evacuate high-rise buildings immediately.
According to Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention, the earthquake was felt in nearly every part of the country.
One of the most serious incidents involved a 30-storey skyscraper under construction in northern Bangkok, which collapsed during the tremor. Thai media reports say at least 43 construction workers are currently trapped inside.
Experts from the US Geological Survey confirmed that two earthquakes were recorded hundreds of miles away in Myanmar.
The emergency department of a hospital in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake / SEBASTIEN BERGER / Contributor / Getty
The first was a 7.7 magnitude quake near Sagaing at around 1.20pm local time (Friday 28 March). 12 minutes later, a second quake measuring 6.4 hit just south of the area.
In Naypyidaw, Myanmar, a team of Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists were inside the National Museum when the earthquake struck. They reported the ceiling cracking and shaking as the building began to crumble. Staff were rushing outside in panic, trembling and in shock, while others called loved ones.
Tremors tore apart nearby roads, and traffic came to a standstill near one of the city’s main hospitals, which became a ‘mass casualty area’ after the quake, AFP officials added. Medical staff were forced to treat injured patients outside the 1,000-bed hospital, using IV drips hooked up to gurneys on the street.
Myanmar has also declared a state of emergency following the devastation. The State Administration Council stated that the earthquake hit approximately 20 kilometres northeast of Mandalay at a depth of 10 kilometres, and was followed by three aftershocks.
JOHN SAEKINICHOLAS SHEARMAN / Contributor / Getty
“I was in the office at around 1.30pm local time when I felt the tremors,” an eyewitness from Sky News in Bangkok explained. “Lights started to swing, the windowpanes shook, and people rushed downstairs to evacuate the building. There was no warning – despite this being a country still reeling from a devastating tsunami twenty years ago.”
Thai security forces have been mobilised to ensure public safety, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is now closely monitoring the situation for possible aftershocks or additional seismic activity.
Geological experts warn that aftershocks are common in the hours following an earthquake. Although these are usually less intense, statistical data indicates a risk of a further significant earthquake within the next 24 hours.
Featured Image Credit: SAI AUNG MAIN / Contributor / Getty
Man shows shocking reality of North Korea as one of the first tourists to visit after 5 years of isolation
The secretive regime has since halted its tourism again
A man has lifted the lid on the shocking reality of North Korea after he became one of the first tourists to visit after five years of isolation.
Life in North Korea has been described by people who have escaped the regime, but the extent of the harsh realities for the people still living there is often unknown.
But recently, the secretive country opened its borders to non-Russian tourists for the first time in half a decade.
And one man documented his experience for his YouTube channel visiting a country that is kept so under wraps that ‘when I was flying in, we had to close the blinds on the windows of the plane because we weren’t allowed to look outside’.
Mike Okay shared his visit to North Korea with his 607,000 subscribers where he spent five days with a tour group.
Mike said: “We had five North Koreans with us, three guides, a driver and a photographer. They were very friendly, always polite and they did their absolute best to make sure that we felt at ease but no matter how welcoming they seemed, there was no shaking this feeling that we were being watched.”
The YouTuber shared a bizarre encounter during a trip to a mineral water factory where Mike noticed there weren’t any workers.
Asking his tour guide about it, the man replied: “What’s the day today, Saturday?”
To which Mike responded: “Thursday.”
The YouTuber watched a group of children sing in front of footage of missiles (YouTube/@mikeokay)
At his hotel, the YouTuber showed how his windows had been ‘sealed shut’ and the room’s phone could not connect to anyone ‘outside of North Korea’.
At the end of his trip, Mike visited a school where he watched a group perform a song celebrating their leader, Kim Jong Un.
Many viewers took to the YouTube comment section to share their reactions to the footage.
One user wrote: “This whole episode felt like a Truman Show movie. Like everything around him is set up just for him.”
Another said: “I kinda feel bad for the people that are getting interviewed, one wrong answer and it’s over for them and their whole family. Imagine the amount of pressure.”
A third person commented: “The fact he didn’t know which day it was, said Saturday, and you fact checked him saying it’s Thursday shows something was up.”
A fourth wrote: “It still blows my mind that a place like this actually exists…”
And a fifth person added: “Everybody seems so programmed and gets nervous when asked about any other counties. I feel for the kids—smart, talented and articulate. I genuinely hope the best for them.”
