PATTAYA, Thailand – Mayor Poramet Ngampichet has refuted reports claiming that a hotel building in Pattaya was severely affected by tremors from the powerful earthquake in Myanmar. Viral social media posts suggested that intense shaking caused water from the rooftop swimming pool to spill down the building, but the mayor confirmed that these claims are false. The video shows that the water spill originated from a condo in Bangkok.
The 8.2-magnitude earthquake, with a depth of 10 kilometers, struck Myanmar earlier on March 28, sending tremors across several regions in Thailand, including Bangkok and Pattaya. In response, hospitals in Pattaya relocated patients outdoors as a precaution, while some hospital buildings sustained minor damage and cracks, pending structural assessments by authorities.
Mayor Poramet emphasized that Pattaya experienced minimal impact from the earthquake. “The reports circulating on Facebook about a hotel building suffering severe tremors and a rooftop pool overflowing are untrue,” he stated. City officials investigated the claims and found no such incidents.
Additionally, the mayor ordered an immediate temporary halt to construction projects on high-rise buildings exceeding 23 floors to prevent risks from aftershocks.
He also urged Pattaya residents to stay informed about earthquake safety measures, especially those in high-rise buildings, and to exercise caution in areas with downed power lines. While the earthquake was one of the most powerful ever felt in Thailand, Pattaya remains largely unaffected.
