The massive 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar today, impacting cities including Bangkok– where a towering skyscraper collapsed – and Vietnam’s Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, serves as a stark reminder of how Southeast Asia remains one of the most seismically active regions in the world.
The earthquake has tragically claimed over 140 lives in Myanmar, with hundreds more injured and 117 people reported missing in Thailand following the collapse of the skyscraper. The most recent earthquake, a 4.0 magnitude tremor, struck in the Banda Sea near the Indonesian coast earlier today at 5.53pm (UTC), according to the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency. Indonesia’s position on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates converge, makes it the most earthquake-prone country in the world, subjected to frequent seismic activity.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) interactive map, Indonesia also suffered an earthquake of a magnitude of 4.7 today which struck 54 km east-northeast of Pototano at 11:59:01 UTC.
The USGS has previously said that Indonesia is the most earthquake-prone country, experiencing 2,212 seismic events of magnitude 4 or above in 2023 alone.
Indonesia recorded the highest number of major earthquakes in eight out of ten years from 2014 to 2023, peaking in 2019 with 2,907 significant events, the strongest being a 7.2-magnitude quake.
Just last week, the country endured three earthquakes in one day, including a 5.5-magnitude tremor that struck North Sumatra province, and two additional quakes in Maluku and East Nusa Tenggara, as confirmed by Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency.
Indonesia has witnessed some of the world’s most significant seismic events, such as the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora, one the largest volcanic eruptions by volume on record.
When it comes to the severity and damage caused by earthquakes, however, China surpasses Indonesia, according to a survey conducted by the US government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
From 1990 to 2024, China experienced 186 major quakes, causing at least £772 million in damages, 10 or more fatalities, or a magnitude of 7.5 or higher, or causing tsunamis.