S'poreans in Myanmar recount earthquake ordeal

Some recall feeling light-headed, as they fled with colleagues and family in fear

- Vihanya Rakshika

When the floor of her second-storey office in Myanmar began to shake on March 28, Juni thought she was just light-headed from staring at her laptop screen for too long. Then came the loud boom when a wooden beam crashed to the floor.

The Singaporean, who declined to give her full name, was seized momentarily by fear, and her mind raced. She wondered if they were under attack or if it was a bomb.

Juni, who is in her 30s and works in research in the oil and gas sector in Mandalay, realised what was happening when someone shouted that an earthquake had struck. She immediately fled from the three-storey building with her colleagues.

Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, was among the areas rocked by a 7.7-magnitude quake on March 28, followed by a 6.4-magnitude aftershock minutes later.

Some people like Juni who live in Myanmar managed to emerge unharmed. Others were not so lucky.

In Myanmar alone, the death toll from the quake reached about 1,700.