Bangor Man Rescues Schoolchildren from Deadly Quake

A person from Bangor, located in County Down, recounted having to move children out of their primary school due to the shaking caused by the Myanmar earthquake occurring in Bangkok.

At least 144 individuals have lost their lives, and numerous others have been wounded in Myanmar as a result. the 7.7 magnitude quake.

Many people are believed to be trapped in their skyscrapers in the Thai capital, located hundreds of miles away from the earthquake’s center. Additionally, an incomplete tall building has also fallen down. 81 construction workers missing.

Robb Falls and his girlfriend Rebecca Root, who was at their residence, managed to get away without injury.

'Chaos and uncertainty'

Mr. Falls, who is employed at a school, mentioned that the classroom began to "spin and sway" on Friday.

"It was quite insane actually... the blinds were rattling, I couldn't grasp what was happening," he shared with News NI.

Maintaining balance to help the children reach safety proved difficult.

Mr. Falls, who works as a special educational needs support teacher, mentioned that several students were quite distressed. As a result, he needed to remain calm and downplay the situation while guiding them out of the school building.

After exiting, he described the entire area as feeling somewhat strange, comparing it to walking ashore after being on a ship.

"It was difficult to orient yourself," he clarified.

At the same time, his colleague, the freelance reporter Rebecca Root, was operating from her house located on the ninth floor of a tall office tower.

Ms. Root mentioned that she could sense a swaying motion and observed the light fixtures oscillating.

"I immediately got on the ground and could hear crashes from outside," she said.

Like her neighbors, Rebecca mentioned that she escaped the structure without shoes as shards of glass and chunks of plaster were raining down from above.

She mentioned, 'I simply wanted to reach downstairs as quickly as I could,'

The pair are lodging at a close-by hotel and are uncertain about returning to their residence due to extensive harm to its structure.

"Tomorrow, we'll attempt to resolve these issues," Mr. Falls said additionally.

Ms. Root described the city as having an "air of disarray and unpredictability," where public transportation is halted, pedestrians are forming large groups, and traffic is severely congested.

At present, the pair stated that they are simply thankful for being safe and sound.

It is anticipated that the overall count of casualties from the earthquake will increase over the next few days.

The earthquake hit an area close to Mandalay, home to approximately 1.5 million inhabitants.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a secondary earthquake hit just 12 minutes following the initial tremor, registering at a magnitude of 6.4. The epicenter of this aftershock was located 18 kilometers (11.1 miles) south of Sagaing.

Bangkok is situated over 1,300 kilometers (807 miles) away from the earthquake’s epicenter.

“I found it hard to conceive of experiencing a more powerful earthquake… Knowing that we were so distant from Mandalay, I cannot even begin to fathom what it must have been like for those at the center,” Ms. Root commented.

Earthquake activity recorded in Ireland

This earthquake stands as the most powerful one globally for the current year and boasts a higher magnitude than any event documented in 2024.

Shaking was experienced in neighboring nations of Myanmar such as Thailand, India, and southwestern regions of China.

The earthquake was also picked up by seismometers located in the Republic of Ireland, according to reports from Irish broadcaster RTÉ.

The Irish National Seismic Network disseminated seismographs demonstrating seismic activity across various locations nationwide just after 07:00 local time.

• Massive earthquake claims at least 144 lives in Myanmar, traps numerous individuals as structures crumble in Thailand
• More than 140 people have died in Myanmar and Thailand following a massive earthquake.
• journalist urgently looking for survivors amidst the debris of a 30-story structure