Over 60 Mosques Collapse in Myanmar Earthquake; 500+ Muslim Worshipers Killed—Decades of Dictatorship’s Repair Restrictions Worsened the Damage
A powerful earthquake struck during Friday prayers in the holy month of Ramadan, causing nearly 60 mosques to collapse and killing between 500 and 700 Muslim worshippers, according to investigations.
The earthquake, which hit around 1 PM on March 28, destroyed multiple religious buildings, including mosques where Muslims had gathered for Friday prayers—the last Friday of Ramadan. Due to the large number of worshippers present, the casualties were severe.
“Friday is Jummah day, and since it’s Ramadan, more people than usual had gathered. The earthquake struck while they were praying, trapping many under the rubble. Entire families were affected,” said U Tun Kyi, a leading committee member of the Spring Revolution Myanmar Muslim Network (SRMMN), in an interview with CJ Platform.
He added that the damage was exacerbated by decades of dictatorship, which prohibited even minor mosque repairs—such as replacing a single sheet of metal or a beam—leaving the structures vulnerable.
The earthquake in Sagaing, Central Myanmar, severely damaged more than 50 mosques, including 18 in Mandalay and five in Sagaing—four of which were completely destroyed, according to local sources.
Currently, beneath the ruins of the centuries-old Shwe Phone Shein Mosque in Mandalay, Muslim worshippers remain trapped. Investigative reports indicate that due to the lack of heavy machinery, clearing the debris from the collapsed structure remains extremely difficult.
Reports indicate that in Mandalay’s A Myauk Tan Mosque, 120 people died, while 20 perished in the Sakkyar Nwe Mosque, 8 in the Kyauk Mosque, 2 in the Sein Pan Mosque, and 1 in the Pann Thay Mosque. Many others are still missing.
Elsewhere, 5 people died in Meikhtila’s Bengali Mosque, 2 in Pyawbwe’s Myo Thit Mosque, 35 in Yamethin’s Gainggyi Mosque, and around 50 in Pyinmana.
In Mandalay, a total of 18 mosques—including the historic Shwe Phone Shein, along with Tha Htay Tan, Mingalar, Taung Sin Kyone, Sakkyar Myauk, Sinkya Taung, Taiktan, North Obo, and Bom Oe Ywar—were reportedly destroyed and declared “Shahid” due to their collapse.
Additionally, mosques in Tada-U, Chanmyathazi, Amarapura, Shwebo, Meikhtila, Sintgaing, Tharsi, Pyawbwe, Yamethin, Yeatashai, Plaig, Taungoo, Min Hla, and four mosques in Kyaukse Township were also severely damaged.
“On the 27th night of Ramadan—Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree), one of Islam’s holiest occasions—Muslims spent the night in prayer. The following day, Friday (Jumu’ah), also marked the end of Ramadan, drawing even larger crowds to mosques,” another Muslim worshipper told CJ Platform.
Unfortunately, this coincided with the devastating earthquake, trapping many worshippers under the rubble.
Rescue teams are still searching for survivors, but the scale of destruction has overwhelmed efforts. Many remain buried under debris.
As a consequence of the earthquake, which was centered near Sagaing and Mandalay, a magnitude of 7.7 was recorded. The military junta has reported 1,002 deaths and 2,376 injuries as of March 29, but local sources say the toll continues to rise.