Bangkok, Thailand. (April 7, 2025): On March 28th, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Myanmar (formerly Burma) causing damage as far away as Thailand, six hundred miles away. In this photo by Air Force Staff Sergeant Matthew Wisher, U.S. Indo-Command military personnel work alongside Thai first responders near the collapsed State Audit Building here. Fortunately for the people of Thailand, the U.S. already had humanitarian relief personnel in place due to the recent Cobra Gold military exercises.
As of this date, eleven people are confirmed dead and dozens of construction workers are missing after the building collapsed. Thai authorities also said thirty-two people were injured and another eighty-three remain missing.
The Americans immediately dispatched Army engineers, Navy Seabees, and Air Force K-9 handlers to assist local authorities conducting search and rescue operations. Army engineers helped assess damage to structures and offered strategies to stabilize multi-story buildings shaken by the aftershocks. Navy Seabees lent a hand using their heavy equipment to clear roads of debris so first responders can reach the worst hit sites. Finally, U.S. working dog teams searched for victims buried deep beneath the rubble.
The Thai government expressed its appreciation on behalf of the people of Thailand for the quick American response. The U.S. and Thailand enjoy a close relationship dating to the Treaty of Amity and Economic Relations signed in 1968. Thailand is host to Cobra Gold exercises, the largest annual multinational military maneuvers in the Indo-Pacific. In 2003, the U.S. declared Thailand a major non-NATO ally.