Category Archives: Earthquakes

Volunteer rescuers race to find survivors two days after Myanmar earthquake

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Red Cross says devastation is of a level not seen in Asia for over a century as more than 1,700 people killed

Rescue volunteers, many of them poorly equipped local people, raced to find survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings across central Myanmar, two days after a huge earthquake killed more than 1,700 people in the country and at least 18 in neighbouring Thailand.

Red Cross officials said Myanmar was facing “a level of devastation that hasn’t been seen over a century in Asia”, after a 7.7-magnitude quake struck near the centre of the country on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock.

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Scramble to free survivors as death toll passes 1,600 after Myanmar earthquake

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Woman pulled to safety after 30 hours trapped in building a rare glimmer of hope in midst of devastation

Rescue workers battled for a second night to find survivors of Myanmar’s devastating earthquake, which has killed at least 1,644 people and injured thousands more.

Teams with little protective equipment, at times using only their bare hands, scrambled to free survivors from the rubble of countless buildings that were shattered by Friday’s 7.7-magnitude earthquake.

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Myanmar earthquake: race to find survivors as junta confirms huge rise in death toll

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Military rulers have called for ‘any country, any organisation’ to help as concerns grow over how rescuers will reach affected areas

The south-east Asian bloc Asean says it is ready to support quake recovery efforts in Myanmar and Thailand and recognises the urgent need for humanitarian assistance.

Foreign ministers from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations said in a joint statement on Saturday that the bloc “reaffirms its solidarity with the families and communities affected by the earthquake”.

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Thailand and Myanmar earthquake death toll rises as Bangkok declared disaster area with dozens trapped under skyscraper – live

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United States Geological Survey said the quake was shallow, at a depth of just 10km (six miles) with the epicentre near the central city of Mandalay

A 30-storey skyscraper under construction for government offices has collapsed in Bangkok trapping 43 workers, police and medics said, after the city was rocked by a strong earthquake.

According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the building in the north of the Thai capital was reduced to a tangle of rubble and twisted metal in seconds after the 7.7-magnitude quake in neighbouring Myanmar.

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Strong 7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes Myanmar, with tremors felt in neighbouring Thailand

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Witnesses in Bangkok more than 1,000km away said people ran out onto the streets in panic

An earthquake of magnitude 7.7 has struck Myanmar, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said, causing hundreds of people to pour out of swaying buildings in Bangkok, the capital of neighbouring Thailand 1,400km away.

USGS said the quake on Friday was shallow, at a depth of just 10km (six miles) with the epicentre near the central city of Mandalay, about 50km (30 miles) east of the city of Monywa.

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State of emergency declared on Santorini after earthquakes shake island

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Greek civil protection authorities announce measures after an estimated 7,700 tremors in less than a week

Greek civil protection authorities have declared a state of emergency on Santorini as natural disaster experts voice mounting fears over the “intense” seismic activity that has rattled the island.

The emergency measures were declared by the island’s town hall hours after seismologists recorded a 5.2-magnitude earthquake – the most powerful tremor to be felt on Santorini since the first of an estimated 7,700 temblors were registered last week.

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Magnitude-4.1 earthquake near Muswellbrook likely part of ‘swarm’ that could see ‘hundreds to thousands’ of shocks

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Seismologist says it is ‘too early’ to link fourth event of sequence to mining activity in the Hunter region

A 4.1-magnitude earthquake that rocked the New South Wales town of Muswellbrook is likely part of an “earthquake swarm” that could see “hundreds to thousands” of small to moderate shocks over the coming months, according to a government seismologist.

The earthquake, which hit around midday on Tuesday and was shallow at 3km deep, is the fourth event over magnitude four in three months in the Hunter region. On 23 August, a 4.7-magnitude earthquake hit Muswellbrook, damaging homes and businesses.

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‘Earthquake swarm’ no cause for concern, experts say after magnitude 4.5 quake in NSW Hunter region

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Quake near Liddell power station, one of the Coalition’s seven proposed nuclear sites, felt in Sydney, Wollongong and Dubbo

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake has hit the Hunter region of New South Wales early Saturday morning, two weeks after an earthquake of a similar size struck the region.

Geoscience Australia told Guardian Australia the earthquake was part of an “earthquake swarm” in the region: a series of moderate to large earthquakes with their own aftershock sequences.

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NSW hit by magnitude 4.8 earthquake felt as far south as Canberra

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More than 2,000 people reported feeling the quake, which struck 120km northwest of Newcastle, causing windows to blow in and a chimney to topple

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake has hit New South Wales, causing windows to smash and a chimney to fall over.

The quake – revised down from a magnitude 5 – hit Denman, 120km northwest of Newcastle in the upper Hunter region. It struck at 12.02pm on Friday, with a depth of 10km, and is the largest to hit the area in 20 years.

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Japan’s PM cancels overseas trip after experts issue ‘megaquake’ warning

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The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued its first-ever warning of the risk of a huge earthquake along the Pacific coast

Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has cancelled a visit to central Asia this weekend after experts warned that the risk of a “megaquake” occurring off the country’s Pacific coast had increased following Thursday’s magnitude 7.1 earthquake in the south-west.

Kishida, who is battling low approval ratings and faces challenges to his leadership in a ruling party presidential election next month, announced his decision at a press conference on Friday.

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Earthquake strikes off Japan’s coast and triggers tsunami warning

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No immediate signs of damage reported after powerful quake hits off eastern coast of Kyushu

A powerful earthquake struck off Japan’s southern coast on Thursday, triggering a tsunami advisory, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said, but there were no immediate signs of major damage.



The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake registered a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 and was centred off the eastern coast of Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu at a depth of about 30km (18.6 miles).

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Homes evacuated in Italy after strongest quake in 40 years near supervolcano

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Cracks form in buildings after 150 quakes follow 4.4-magnitude tremor around Campi Flegrei near Naples

Homes were evacuated and many people slept in their cars or on the street after the strongest earthquake in 40 years shook the area around the sprawling Campi Flegrei supervolcano close to Naples.

The 4.4-magnitude tremor in Pozzuoli, a densely populated port city, was followed by 150 quakes that were also strongly felt in Naples.

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New footage shows Australian couple beginning hike moments before Taiwan earthquake

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Search continues for couple who have not been seen for six days after they began their hike on the mountainous Shakadang trail before the 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck

Rescue efforts are still under way in Taiwan’s Taroko national park to find two missing Australian nationals, who have not been seen for six days after a massive earthquake hit the island.

The couple, identified by local government officials as Neo Siew Choo and Sim Hwee Kok, went missing after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the island at 7.58am on Wednesday.

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Taiwan earthquake: over 600 people remain stranded days after disaster

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‘I kept praying and praying’, says rescued woman as search for four people missing from hiking trail set to resume following Wednesday’s quake

Rescuers in Taiwan planned to bring in heavy equipment on Saturday to try to recover two bodies buried on a hiking trail, while more than 600 people remained stranded in various locations, three days after the island’s strongest earthquake in 25 years.

Four people remain missing on the same Shakadang Trail in Taroko national park, famed for its rugged mountainous terrain. Search and recovery work was set to resume after being called off on Friday afternoon because of aftershocks.

At least 12 people were killed by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck on Wednesday morning off Taiwan’s east coast, and 10 others were still missing.

More than 600 people – including about 450 at a hotel in the Taroko park – remained stranded, cut off by rockslides and other damage in different areas. However, many were known to be safe as rescuers deployed helicopters, drones and smaller teams with dogs to reach them.

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New York City shakes as 4.8 magnitude earthquake hits US north-east

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US Geological survey reported the quake centered in New Jersey, and was felt across the eastern seaboard

An earthquake shook the densely populated New York City metropolitan area on Friday morning, the US Geological Survey said, with residents reporting they felt rumbling across the eastern seaboard in what is a relatively rare event for the region.

The government agency reported a quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8, with a preliminary location for the epicenter given as near Lebanon, New Jersey, and later as near Tewksbury and Whitehouse Station, all three of which are in Hunterdon county roughly in a 10-mile radius.

People reported feeling the quake in the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts, with the Weather Channel reporting that it was noticeable in Boston and residents in Philadelphia reporting they felt it, too. Tremors lasting for several seconds were felt more than 200 miles away near the New Hampshire border.

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‘First time?’ Californians poke fun at New Yorkers’ frantic earthquake posts

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Although one Bay Area reporter found the side-eye inappropriate, New York earthquake Twitter proved delightful for Angelenos

For many people in Los Angeles, earthquakes are just another trend that New Yorkers have discovered years after the real cool kids did.

As Angelenos awoke to the news that the east coast had endured a 4.8-magnitude earthquake centered in New Jersey, “First time?” memes filled Los Angeles social media channels.

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Taiwan earthquake: shock and grief take hold in Hualien

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Residents of tourist city near epicentre of 7.2-magnitude Taiwan earthquake face destruction and despair

Lying in his bed, Liao Xiu Bo wondered if he was about to die. As a powerful earthquake rocked the ground beneath him, he tried to escape his house. “Am I going to be crushed?” he asked himself, before gathering the courage to run down the stairs, which swayed beneath his feet.

Outside, he could see that the wall surrounding his house had collapsed, its bricks littered across the road. “That’s when I realised how extreme the earthquake was.”

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Taiwan earthquake: search for survivors continues into night after nine people killed in quake – as it happened

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This live blog is now closed. You can read our latest full report below:

People are trapped in collapsed buildings in Taiwan’s city of Hualien according to local media and the local government has suspended schools and classes in the region.

According to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration, the epicentre of the quake was 25km southeast of Hualien.

Based on tsunami wave models and early tide gauge records of the tsunami in the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, coastal areas in the Philippines fronting the Pacific Ocean are expected to experience high tsunami waves.

It is forecasted that the first tsunami waves will arrive between 08:33 AM to 10:33 AM, 03 Apr 2024 (PST). It may not be the largest and these waves may continue for hours.

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Taiwan earthquake: nine dead and 900 injured as buildings collapse

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Dozens believed trapped and awaiting rescue after island hit by 7.2-magnitude quake, its strongest in 25 years

Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 years has killed nine people and injured at least 900, causing building collapses, power outages and landslides on the island, and triggering initial tsunami warnings in southern Japan and the Philippines.

The fire agency said 64 people were trapped in one coalmine, and six in another, while rescue workers had lost contact with 50 people who were travelling in minibuses through a national park as the earthquake wiped out phone networks.

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‘Reality remains tough as ever’, says Japan PM as extra $660m pledged for Noto earthquake rebuild

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The earthquake hit parts of the Ishikawa region on New Year’s Day killing 241 people and sparking a major fire, water remains cut off to some areas

Japan will spend an additional $660m rebuilding areas ravaged by a devastating New Year’s Day earthquake, prime minister Fumio Kishida said, taking the total amount of relief to $1.7bn.

The new financial aid was announced by the prime minister on Saturday as he visited the quake-hit areas.

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