Following the magnitude-7.0+ earthquake in Myanmar on March 28, authorities in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, have reported additional structural damage at local high-rise buildings - and tragically, one death during an evacuation.

According to the People’s Committee of District 8, the quake’s tremors, which lasted around 20 seconds, were felt across many high-rise buildings in the city. Local authorities promptly launched a survey to assess the impact on residential structures.

As of the latest updates, two apartment buildings in Ward 16 were found to have been directly affected by the seismic tremors, along with one reported fatality.

At My Phuc Apartment Building (192 Pham Duc Son Street, Ward 16), one unit was reported to have cracked window glass. Meanwhile, at Diamond Riverside (1646 Vo Van Kiet Street), initial inspections found 120 units with cracked walls. By the evening of March 30, that number had increased to 400 apartments.

Pham Quang Tu, Vice Chairman of the District 8 People’s Committee, stated that the local government had already coordinated with the building’s developer, insurance providers, and relevant departments from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction to address the situation.

At a meeting held on March 31, the Department of Construction advised the Diamond Riverside building management board to conduct a structural safety assessment of the affected areas. If the management board lacks the technical capacity, they were instructed to hire a qualified professional unit to carry out the evaluation.

Fatal incident at Pegasuite 1 during evacuation

While no physical damage was reported at Pegasuite 1 (1002 Ta Quang Buu Street, Ward 6, District 8), a fatal incident occurred during the earthquake-related tremors.

According to officials, a tenant living on the 34th floor attempted to evacuate using the emergency staircase. The individual collapsed on the 21st floor and was discovered by fellow residents, who immediately called emergency services. Despite efforts to resuscitate, the victim was pronounced dead upon the ambulance’s arrival.

Pegasuite 1 is developed by Phuong Viet Investment JSC.

Authorities continue to monitor affected buildings for further developments and are urging residents to report any signs of structural compromise.

Anh Phuong