Myanmar went quiet on Friday, March 28, 2025, after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit near Mandalay at 12:50 p.m. Power’s out, phones don’t work, and no one knows how bad it really is. The military says 144 are dead and 732 hurt, but with lines down, people fear the truth is worse—and still hiding.
The quake shook the ground hard, just 10 kilometers deep, 16 kilometers from Mandalay in Sagaing. Buildings fell, roads split, and bridges dropped into rivers. By night, Min Aung Hlaing, the military boss, gave the first numbers—96 dead in Naypyidaw, 18 in Sagaing, 30 in Mandalay. But a rescuer in Mandalay told it’s “enormous,” with “hundreds” likely gone. He’s digging by hand, hearing screams from the rubble. In Bone Oe village nearby, he said over 100 are dead. No one can check yet—there’s no way to call or see.
The Red Cross said power and phone lines are out in Mandalay and Sagaing, two of the hardest-hit spots. “It’s tough to know what people need,” they told the BBC. They’re trying to help, but without lights or signals, it’s slow. In Yangon, 600 kilometers south, a man who wouldn’t give his name said power was off for three hours after the quake. It’s back now, but not up north. “Two big telecom companies have been down all day in Mandalay,” he said. “Pictures show buildings flat—it’s grim.”
That silence scares people. “A lot of bad news will come out once the phones work again,” the Yangon man told the BBC. He’s seen photos of three- and four-story places collapsed in Mandalay, sent by email—the only way news trickles out. A teacher in Yangon, Guilaume D’Agaro, felt the shake and lost touch with friends in Mandalay. “No power, no internet—it’s hard to reach them,” he said. “We’re just hoping.” A student in the UK, Myat Hsu Paing, couldn’t call her friend near Sagaing either. “Every minute, I check my phone,” she said, worried sick.
Myanmar’s already cut off. The military, in charge since 2021, blocks websites and controls news. War’s left 3.5 million homeless, and now this. A rescuer in Shan State, near Mandalay, heard sirens everywhere but doesn’t know the damage. “We’re afraid of more shakes,” she said, living in a camp for people displaced by fighting. The junta declared emergencies in six regions—Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, Bago, Shan, and Naypyidaw—but with no lines, help’s stuck.
The quake hit Thailand too—seven died in Bangkok when a tower fell. But Myanmar’s the worry. A reporter in Bangkok tried calling home to Mandalay and couldn’t get through. “It’s a complete mess,” a friend finally said when the line worked. The military asked for blood and global aid, a rare move, but no one knows how many need it. Aftershocks—like a 6.4 magnitude one at 1:02 p.m.—keep coming, and people stay outside, scared of falling walls.
Until the lights and phones come back, Myanmar’s in the dark. Rescuers, families, and aid teams wait, guessing at the toll. “It’s the last thing we need,” the Yangon man said. When the silence breaks, he’s sure it’ll bring more pain.