Fate of Myanmar's vulnerable capital uncertain in wake of quake

Observers say Sagaing fault catastrophes lurk beneath Naypyitaw

20250513 Naypyitaw

The parliamentary complex in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, was damaged by a devastating March 28 earthquake, which killed at least 3,800 people. (Photo from Myanmar government)

DOMINIC FAULDER

BANGKOK -- Six weeks after Myanmar's military-built capital, Naypyitaw, was devastated by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake -- the largest of many in the past century -- a question mark hangs over the city: is it worth reconstructing?

Naypyitaw straddles the major Sagaing fault line that also runs northward through Mandalay, the last Burmese royal capital, and down to Yangon, the British colonial capital that remains the country's largest city and commercial hub.

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