Photos from the Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw showed multiple buildings used to house civil servants destroyed by the quake, and rescue crews pulling victims from the rubble.
After a powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar on Friday, the head of Myanmar’s military government said 144 people lost their lives, while 730 sustained injuries. The photos and videos from two hard-hit cities showed extensive damage. The tremors were also felt in neighbouring Thailand, with at least eight casualties in the Thai capital, where a high-rise under construction collapsed. The 7.7 magnitude quake, with an epicentre near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, struck at midday and was followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock.
In a televised speech on Friday, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said, “The death toll and injuries are expected to rise.”
High blood demand in hardesh-hit areas: Myanmar govt
According to news agency AP, the Myanmar government said blood was in high demand in the hardest-hit areas. Images of buckled and cracked roads in Mandalay and damaged highways as well as the collapse of a bridge and dam raised further concerns about how rescuers would even reach some areas in a country already enduring a widespread humanitarian crisis.
The full extent of death, injury and destruction was not immediately clear — particularly in Myanmar, one of the world’s poorest countries. It is embroiled in a civil war and information is tightly controlled.
Images of buckled and cracked roads in Mandalay and damaged highways as well as the collapse of a bridge and dam raised further concerns about how rescuers would even reach some areas in a country already enduring a widespread humanitarian crisis.
Thailand rocked by tremors as sirens wail throughout central Bangkok
In Thailand, the sound of sirens could be heard throughout central Bangkok and vehicles filled the streets, which left some of the city’s already congested streets gridlocked. The elevated rapid transit system and subway shut down.
Near Bangkok’s popular Chatuchak market, a 33-story building under construction, with a crane on top, crumpled into a cloud of dust, and onlookers could be seen screaming and running in a video posted on social media.
(With inputs from AP)
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