The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has published satellite images showcasing the widespread destruction caused by the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on Friday, with tremors also affecting neighbouring regions. Using its advanced Cartosat-3 satellite, which provides high-resolution imagery from 500 km above Earth, ISRO captured detailed photos of the damage, including the collapse of a major bridge over the Irrawaddy River, severe damage to Mandalay University, and the destruction of the Ananda Pagoda.
Cartosat-3, launched in 2019, is a third-generation agile satellite capable of capturing images with a resolution of less than 50 centimetres. The National Remote Sensing Centre, part of ISRO, obtained post-disaster imagery on Saturday over the cities of Mandalay and Sagaing in Myanmar. These images were compared with data acquired earlier in March to assess the damage.
The earthquake, followed by a strong aftershock of magnitude 6.4, struck the Sagaing-Mandalay border at a depth of 10 km, severely impacting Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city. Numerous landmarks, including the Sky Villa, Phayani Pagoda, Mahamuni Pagoda, and the University of Mandalay, suffered significant damage. In Sagaing city, several monasteries and pagodas were also affected.
The destruction included the collapse of the historic Ava (InnWa) Bridge over the Irrawaddy River, with cracks observed in nearby flood plains, suggesting liquefaction. The earthquake’s epicentre is near the active Sagaing Fault, a significant strike-slip fault that accommodates lateral motion between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.
In response to the disaster, India was among the first to send rescue teams and provide humanitarian assistance to Myanmar.