A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar on Friday, 28 March, with tremors felt across the country as well as Thailand. The epicenter was close to Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city.
The full scale of damage is still being assessed, but reports indicate that thousands have been killed, and many more thousands injured.
Natural disaster
On 28 March 2025, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Sagaing, Mandalay, Naypitaw, and Shan state. The quake was felt across Thailand, Bangladesh, China, and Laos, causing widespread damage to infrastructure and buildings.
Strained healthcare system
With the intensity of the earthquake and the thousands of people injured, healthcare facilities that are still functioning face huge influxes of patients. The impact on people who require emergency trauma care for crush injuries can be devastating.
as of April 2025
On 28 March 2025, at approximately 12:50am, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Sagaing, Mandalay, Naypitaw, and Shan state. The epicenter was recorded at Sagaing with a depth of 10km. The tremor was felt across Thailand, Bangladesh, China, and Laos, causing widespread damage to infrastructure and buildings.
According to Thai Meteorological Department’s Earthquake Observation Division, since the initial earthquake, over 70 aftershocks were recorded in following 24 hours, with few exceeding 5.0 on the Richter Scale (RS). The strongest aftershocks have further weakened damaged buildings, increasing the risk of collapses and complicating rescue efforts. Residents have reported continued fear and difficulty accessing safe shelter due to the current political situation.
The earthquake has resulted in more than 2,800 deaths, 4,600 injured, and at least 370 missing, according to the Myanmar State Administration Council's information team. The number of casualties is expected to rise further.
Authorities have deployed search and rescue teams, and emergency response efforts are ongoing.
Given the scale and intensity of the earthquake, the impact on people could be devastating, particularly for those who require immediate lifesaving assistance due to trauma injuries.
Destruction caused by the earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar. MSF teams are conducting need assessments and providing water and sanitation resources to those affected. © MSF
MSF teams are safe and accounted for and are assessing the needs in the wake of the disaster. Our teams are on the ground in Mandalay and Naypyidaw and are implementing quick actions such as deploying water tanks, installing related piping materials, pressure pumps and distributing waste bins while the ongoing needs assessments continue.
MSF assessment teams are made up of medical, logistics and water and sanitation experts, all of whom are able to determine best the needs of people in areas affected by the earthquake. However, it’s still difficult to know the full scale of damage and medical needs because communication blackouts and access barriers exist in the hardest-hit areas due to ongoing conflict.
More concrete information from the assessment teams will come throughout the next days, but our teams are focused mostly on understanding the need for emergency trauma care within the existing heath system for life and limb saving surgeries for crush injuries due to building collapses, what hospitals are functioning and not functioning and where support is needed, and the current water and sanitation situation.
We are actively mobilising our resources on this crisis and are in communication with the relevant authorities. Our medical humanitarian staff in Myanmar and neighbouring countries are preparing to respond at scale to the needs of affected communities. Communication is on-going with all relevant stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health, reaffirming our commitment and capacity to scale up quickly and support on-going response efforts in Mandalay and Naypyitaw, and all other areas impacted.
As the scale of destruction is becoming clearer, a massive scale up of assistance to prevent further loss of life and suffering is urgently needed. An emergency of this scale is beyond the capacity of any one organisation to respond to. While much of the information and images emerging show the impacts in urban areas, communities in more remote areas may struggle since their needs are not quickly known, and it will take time for assistance to reach them.
All people impacted by the earthquake no matter where they live need access to life-saving medical humanitarian assistance.
MSF staff at work on electrical installations and plumbing at Mandalay General Hospital, Myanmar. There is a huge need for clean water and electricity throughout the country, particularly in the regions most affected by the earthquake. © MSF
MSF has been working in Myanmar since 1992, with focus on providing HIV and TB care, emergency responses to national disasters and conflict, as well as support to the persecuted Rohingya population in Rakhine. We pioneered HIV treatment in Myanmar and steadily grew a large patient cohort—by 2015 becoming the largest provider of antiretrovirals in the country, with over 35,000 patients on antiretroviral treatment. After 2015, MSF began working with the Ministry of Health to transfer patients to the decentralised National AIDS Programme, so people could receive care closer to home.
Due to prohibitions on the delivery of medical humanitarian assistance and escalating conflict, MSF has been forced to close and indefinitely suspend clinics in Rakhine, and some in Kachin and northern Shan. MSF’s medical humanitarian care is now fragmented across the country and focused on where we are still able to get people and supplies to our clinics. As the frontlines shift, so too does our ability to access patients and provide care. We remain flexible and responsive, providing emergency responses wherever possible. At present, MSF is providing assistance in the following regions:
Kachin: MSF provides care for sexual and gender-based violence survivors, HIV and TB, and primary healthcare in clinics across the state, as well as support to the National AIDs and TB programmes.
Northern Shan: Muse is the only remaining MSF clinic operating in northern Shan, and provides family planning, treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, primary healthcare for children under five, antenatal care, support for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, and assistance to the National TB and AIDs programmes.
Rakhine: MSF’s clinics have been suspended and heavily restricted across the state. We currently run flexible small-scale activities where possible, for example supporting emergency referrals to secondary hospitals, distribution of emergency supplies, malnutrition screening in children and supplementary feeding.
Yangon: MSF continues to support Aung San TB Hospital and the National TB Reference Laboratory and provides infection, prevention and control and psychosocial support for TB patients in primary health clinics across Yangon. MSF also expanded existing primary healthcare services to include Hepatitis C treatment and screening and vaccination for Hepatitis B.
Tanintharyi: MSF provides HIV care, and primary health care services including for patients living with non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and other chronic diseases. This also includes a sexual and reproductive health component, including antenatal and postnatal consultations, and family planning.
2008 – In response to Cyclone Nargis, MSF launched a rapid emergency operation, providing medical care to over 550,000 people within 48 hours.
2010 – Following Typhoon Giri, MSF conducted 17,000 medical consultations through mobile and fixed clinics, while also distributing essential food and construction kits.
2021 – MSF opened three COVID-19 treatment centers in Yangon, Myitkyina, and Hpakant for moderate to severe cases, along with:
2022 – MSF supported people displaced by violence in Kachin and Shan states with medical assistance and relief items, including hygiene and cooking kits.
2023 – In response to Cyclone Mocha’s impact in Rakhine State, MSF provided emergency medical care and carried out water and sanitation work, repairing latrines, distributing hygiene items, and supplying clean water.
