BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — A 7.7 magnitude earthquake and an aftershock measuring 6.4 rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand on Friday, destroying buildings, a bridge and a dam.
At least 144 people were killed in Myanmar, the head of the military government said in the televised speech.
“The death toll and injuries are expected to rise,” Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said, adding that more than 700 people had been injured.
At least 10 died in the Thai capital, where a high-rise under construction collapsed. Damage was also reported in China.
The quake struck in the early afternoon, sending people streaming out of buildings and seeking shelter anywhere they could find it from the blazing sun.
Myanmar’s military-run government has declared a state of emergency in six regions.
Here is the latest:
China says it’s ready to help with humanitarian assistance
China’s foreign ministry says the country stands ready to do its best to provide emergency humanitarian assistance and support to the earthquake-affected area in Myanmar.
The statement says China wants to help “help people there carry out disaster relief and rescue and pull through this trying time.”
The ministry spokesperson also extended “our sincere sympathies” to Myanmar and said the peoples of China and Myanmar enjoy a profound “pauk-phaw” friendship, referring to the particularly close ties between the two nations.
Radio Free Asia largely absent from quake coverage after funding cuts
After Cyclone Mocha in 2023, Radio Free Asia’s Burmese Service beamed more than 70 stories in 10 days to its audience via shortwave radio, satellite TV and social media. But the U.S.-backed broadcaster has been noticeably absent from earthquake coverage in the region after President Trump gutted its parent company, the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
Radio Free Asia, which receives funds from the agency, has been forced to furlough most of its staff and sever contracts with stringers, including some in Myanmar, hindering its efforts to gather news on the ground, said Rohit Mahajan, spokesman for RFA.
As USAGM ends contracts for shortwave radio transmitters, RFA has lost three hours of transmission time to beam programs to audiences in Myanmar, according to Mahajan.
UN allocates $5 million from emergency relief fund to earthquakes
The United Nations’ emergency relief coordinator made an initial allocation of $5 million for recovery efforts in the area as the international body works to recover from massive U.S. funding cuts to the region even before the 7.7 magnitude quake hit.
Stéphane Dujarric, the U.N. spokesperson, told reporters that the allocation was made as international and local U.N. staff are working to gather information on the number of people impacted, damage to infrastructure and the scope of the humanitarian needs.
“The earthquake will compound an already dire humanitarian situation in Myanmar, where nearly 20 million people need assistance across the country, including more than 3.5 million people displaced from their homes,” Dujarric said at a briefing Friday.
Impact ‘likely to be severe’
“The impact of the earthquake in Myanmar is likely to be severe, with possibly thousands of displaced people in need of urgent shelter, food and medical aid,” said Mohammed Riyas, regional director of the International Rescue Committee.
“We fear it may be weeks before we understand the full extent of destruction caused by this earthquake, as communication network lines are down and transport is disrupted,” he said. “The damage to infrastructure and homes, loss of life, and injuries sustained by communities affected should not be underestimated.”
Riyas said the IRC and its partners are working to understand how communities have been affected with the aim of launching an emergency response. He said in a statement that “search and rescue operations are underway.”
Pope offers prayers for victims
Pope Francis, who is convalescing after a five-week hospitalization for life-threatening double pneumonia, offered prayers to the victims of the earthquake.
“The pope has been informed of the disaster in Myanmar and is praying for the dramatic situation and for the many victims, also in Thailand,’’ the Vatican said in a statement.
Monastery hit, dam bursts
The earthquake reportedly brought down multiple buildings in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, including the Ma Soe Yane monastery.
A video posted online showed robed monks in the street shooting video of the multistory monastery before it suddenly fell into the ground. It was not immediately clear whether anyone was harmed.
Christian Aid said its partners and colleagues on the ground reported that a dam burst in the city, causing water levels to rise in the lowland areas in the area.
The Red Cross said downed power lines added to challenges for their teams trying to reach several hard-hit areas.
Bridge collapse, highway damaged
In Mandalay, which was close to the epicenter, the earthquake damaged part of the former royal palace and buildings, according to videos and photos released on Facebook social media.
In the Sagaing region, southwest of Mandalay, a 90-year-old bridge collapsed, and some sections of the highway connecting Mandalay and Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon, were damaged.
In the capital Naypyitaw, the quake damaged religious shrines, sending parts toppling to the ground.
Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, a military government spokesperson, told state television MRTV that blood was in high demand in the hospitals in earthquake-hit areas, especially Mandalay, Sagaing, and Naypyitaw.
He urged blood donors to contact the hospitals as soon as possible.
‘Significant damage’
The Red Cross said downed power lines are adding to challenges for their teams trying to reach Mandalay and Sagaing regions and southern Shan state.
“Initial reports from the ground suggest the earthquake has caused significant damage,” the Red Cross said. “Information on humanitarian needs is still being gathered.”
State of emergency
A state of emergency has been declared in six regions and states in Myanmar by the military-run government.
State-run MRTV television said the government’s proclamation includes the capital Naypyitaw and Mandalay, after the earthquake and a strong aftershock, whose epicenter was near the country’s second largest city.
Myanmar is in the midst of a civil war and many areas are not easily accessible and it was not immediately clear what relief efforts the military would be able to provide.
Many missing in Bangkok building collapse
Thai emergency responders said at least two people have been found dead and an unknown number of others are still under the rubble of a collapsed building in Bangkok.
Rescue worker Songwut Wangpon, speaking at the scene of a tall pile of rubble that was once a high-rise building under construction, told reporters another seven people had been found alive.
Thailand’s Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai later said three people had been confirmed dead with 90 others missing following the building collapse.
The collapse of the multi-story structure sent a crane on top of it toppling to the ground and created a massive plume of dust.
People rush for safety in teeming Bangkok
People in the Silom business district of Bangkok evacuated office buildings and condominium towers along Rama IV Road and streamed into nearby Lumphini Park. The sidewalks filled with work crews with neon green shirts, along with other workers in hard hats and blue and green uniform shirts.
Along the walkways of the park and the sidewalks of Silom and nearby Sathon, people in business attire and company uniforms huddled or stood in packs talking and checking their phones. Some moving through the crowds were crying or visibly distraught.
Paul Vincent, a tourist visiting from England, was at a streetside bar when the quake struck.
“The next thing, everybody came on the street, so there was a lot of screaming and panicking, which obviously made it a lot worse,” he said.
As he came onto the street himself, he said he saw a high-rise building swaying and water was falling from a rooftop pool.
“When I saw the building, oh my God, that’s when … it hit me,” he said. “There were people crying in the streets and, you know, the panic was horrendous really.”
Damage reported in nearby China
The earthquake was felt in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in China and caused injuries and damage to houses in the city of Ruili on the border with northern Myanmar, according to Chinese media reports.
Videos that one outlet said it had received from a person in Ruili showed building debris littering a street and a person being wheeled on a stretcher toward an ambulance.
The shaking in Mangshi, a Chinese city about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of Ruili, was so strong that people couldn’t stand, one resident told The Paper, an online media outlet.
Thai prime minister promises all necessary help
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said she has ordered relevant agencies to prepare and work to relieve the situation and warned of possible aftershocks. She didn’t mention any casualties.
“I’d like to ask everyone to stay calm and do not panic, but please be careful.”
Bangkok City Hall has declared Bangkok an area of disaster.
Original source: AP
