Ceredigion woman speaks of terror after experiencing Myanmar earthquake
Isabelle Willis says she thought she would die in the 7.7 magnitude earthquake
Last updated 31st Mar 2025
A woman from Ceredigion has told us she feared she would die in the 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar.
Isabelle Willis, from Newquay, was living in her high-rise condominium in the Thai capital Bangkok when she began to feel the earthquake hit.
Willis said she was getting ready for a shower when the seismic activity began, and initially had felt dizzy, before she realised the gravity of the situation.
"All of a sudden, I thought I was unwell - but within seconds, everything went crazy," Willis said.
"Everything started moving, I could hear the walls creaking. I couldn't describe the sound, but it was like the building was breaking.
"I was absolutely terrified. At first, I thought our building was unsafe and was going to come down - so I ran out of the bedroom and I saw my living-room wall, which had just cracked."
Willis was able to get out of the building but panic had started to set in for those living in the high-rise, with screams being heard both in and outside the building.
"I ran for my life, I thought it was coming down," Willis said. "I genuinely thought I was going to die."
Despite being over 800 miles away from the epicentre of the earthquake, Thailand was particularly hit hard by the seismic activity, which resulted in a skyscraper - that had been under construction - collapsing.
"For me, it felt massive - and the fact that we're in Bangkok and getting this strength, I can't imagine what the people in Myanmar have been going through - I feel so grateful that I'm okay."
Willis went on to say that she only realised that there had been an earthquake after reaching out to her mum back in Wales.
"As soon as I was running out of the building, I called my mum - I had no idea what was happening, but it was actually her who told me what had happened.
"It's made me miss home a lot, I wish I could just have a big hug from my family because it's not great at the moment."
She added that the experience has prompted her to start looking for another home closer to the ground.
"I'm going to move out of my high-rise condo," she said. "I would be kicking myself if I didn't and it happened again, so I'm going to look for somewhere a little lower."
Investigations into the incident remain ongoing, with victims continuing to be pulled from the rubble in both Thailand and neighbouring Myanmar.
The total death count for the earthquake currently stands in the hundreds in Myanmar, where the epicentre of the quake hit. However, this figure may be higher, as reporting from the country - which is controlled by a military junta - is heavily restricted.