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Press Release | April 1, 2025

DoD research lab supports earthquake medical response

BANGKOK, Thailand (March 31, 2025) — In the wake of a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Southeast Asia on March 28, personnel from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research-Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences sprang into action to support emergency medical response efforts at Bangkok’s Phramongkutklao Hospital.

Though AFRIMS facilities sustained no structural damage, the nearby hospital experienced power failures and structural instability, forcing the evacuation of its intensive care unit. Despite the risk of aftershocks, Staff Sgt. Matthew Pascual, Maj. Michael Baisa, Capt. Kevin Maynes, and other WRAIR-AFRIMS leaders ascended 11 floors via the fire escape to locate and successfully evacuate several patients who had been left behind.

Read more on DVIDS here.