50 Mosques Destroyed in Myanmar Earthquake, Hundreds of Muslims Feared Dead

March 30, 2025 | 05:33 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hundreds of Muslim worshipers are feared to be among the more than 1,600 people killed in the powerful earthquake that struck central Myanmar. This occurred as they gathered in mosques for congregational prayers during the holy month of Ramadan.

According to the National Union Government shadow, more than 50 mosques across the country suffered damage when the 7.7 Richter scale earthquake struck on Friday.

Htet Min Oo was performing ablution before the prayers at a mosque next to his house in Mandalay.

His house collapsed along with part of the mosque, trapping half of his body under the debris burying his two aunts. Residents raced to pull them out, he said, but only one survived.

The 25-year-old man told Reuters as quoted by Al Jazeera, that his two uncles and grandmother were also trapped under the pile of concrete. With no heavy equipment available, he desperately tried to clear the debris with his hands but couldn't move it.

"I don't know if they are still alive under the rubble. After so long, I don't think there is any hope," he said on Friday.

"There's too much rubble and no rescue team came for us," he added, his voice trembling as he cried.

A 39-year-old resident in the Mandalay region described the harrowing scene as he tried to save a man trapped under the collapsed mosque in Sule Kone Village. However, he had to flee due to a strong aftershock.

"I had to leave him... I went back a second time to try to save him," he told Reuters, declining to be named. "I took four people with my own hands. But unfortunately, three had died, and one passed away in my arms."

The resident said 10 people had died there, and they were among the 23 killed in three collapsed mosques in the village. Government restrictions had prevented the renovation of mosque buildings, he said.

Muslims are a minority in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar. They have been oppressed and marginalized by successive governments, while Buddhist ultranationalist groups in recent years have incited violence.

The Rohingya, a large Muslim minority, have been one of the most persecuted groups by the Myanmar authorities, suffering mass deaths and displacement.

Myanmar authorities for decades have also made it difficult for Muslims to obtain permits to repair or build mosques. According to a 2017 report by the US State Department, it stated that the condition of historic mosques had deteriorated because routine maintenance was denied.

A man, Julian Kyle, urged on social media for heavy machinery to lift concrete pillars after the earthquake destroyed another mosque in Mandalay.

"Under the rubble, my family members and others were crushed and lost their lives," he wrote. "We desperately want to find their bodies."

A resident from the town of Taungnoo, about 370 kilometers from the epicenter, said he was praying when one side of the Kandaw mosque collapsed on two rows of men sitting in front of him.

"I saw so many people being brought out of the mosque, some of them died right in front of my eyes," he said. "It's truly heartbreaking."

Citing a local newspaper, the Sanad Al Jazeera office said that the mosque collapses on Friday also raised concerns for more buildings to collapse. Especially older ones over 150 years old that had not received the required permission for renewal, according to government regulations.

Buddhist buildings were also affected by the earthquake, with 670 monasteries and 290 pagodas damaged, according to the military government. However, the report did not mention mosques in its damage report.

So far, the earthquake has also destroyed buildings, bridges, and other roads across Myanmar.

But many believe the true scale of the disaster has yet to emerge due to patchy communications in remote areas.

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