Washington, DC (28 March 2025) – A deadly 7.7 earthquake struck Myanmar this morning, with early reports pointing to catastrophic damage and a significant loss of life. Project HOPE, the global health and humanitarian organization, is preparing to deploy an emergency response team to assist with health and humanitarian needs and has a search and rescue and emergency medical team – through longtime partners at SAMU – on standby, if specifically requested by the government.
Myanmar is reporting that 144 people have been killed and 732 injured, but death tolls are expected to rise significantly. The earthquake struck near the city of Sagaing and a state of emergency has since been declared in six states across the country, including Sagaing, Mandalay, Bago, Easter Shan, Mayway, and Naypyidaw. It is the biggest earthquake to hit Myanmar since 1946 and while information is slowly emerging from Myanmar, electricity and network lines are down, further challenging rescue efforts.
Myanmar has been experiencing violent conflict since the 2021 military coup with clashes between the military and militia groups who control swaths of the country. Prior to the earthquake, nearly 20 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance and over three million people were internally displaced.
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