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Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Climbs as Rescue Efforts Intensify
YANGON, Myanmar – The devastating earthquake that struck Myanmar has resulted in a staggering death toll nearing 700, with rescue teams diligently working to extricate survivors from the debris of collapsed structures. The powerful tremor and subsequent aftershocks caused widespread destruction across the region, impacting both Myanmar and neighboring Thailand.
Massive Earthquake Devastates Myanmar and Impacts Bangkok
Powerful Tremors Strike Central Myanmar
A significant 7.7-magnitude earthquake, followed swiftly by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock, rocked northwestern regions of Sagaing city in central Myanmar during the early afternoon. The shallow depth of the seismic event exacerbated the impact, leading to greater surface damage.
The seismic activity inflicted severe damage across large areas of Myanmar. Buildings crumbled, bridges were destroyed, and roadways buckled under the force of the quake. Mandalay, the nation’s second-largest city, sustained substantial damage.
Rising Casualties and Disrupted Communications
According to a statement from the ruling junta, at least 694 individuals perished and nearly 1,700 sustained injuries in Myanmar‘s Mandalay region, believed to be the epicenter of the catastrophe. Tragically, approximately 10 additional fatalities were confirmed in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, due to the collapse of a high-rise construction.
Communication disruptions are hindering a comprehensive assessment of the disaster‘s true extent within the isolated, military-controlled nation. Authorities anticipate a considerable increase in the casualty figures as rescue operations progress and information becomes more readily available.
Historic Seismic Event
Geological experts in the United States have classified this earthquake as the most potent to strike Myanmar in over a century. The tremors possessed sufficient strength to inflict considerable structural damage in Bangkok, despite the city being situated hundreds of kilometers away from the earthquake’s origin.
Bangkok Impact: Skyscraper Collapse and City-Wide Damage
Rescue Operations in Thai Capital
In Bangkok, rescue personnel toiled throughout the night in a frantic search for construction workers trapped beneath the wreckage of a 30-story skyscraper. The high-rise, under construction, was reduced to a mass of rubble and twisted metal within moments of the intense shaking.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt informed news agencies that approximately 10 deaths had been verified across the city, with the majority resulting from the skyscraper’s collapse.
However, concerns persist for up to 100 workers who remain unaccounted for at the building site, situated near the popular Chatuchak weekend market, a major tourist destination.
“We are exerting maximum effort with available resources, as each life possesses immense value,” Governor Chadchart conveyed to reporters at the scene.
“Our foremost priority is to act with utmost speed to rescue all those trapped.”
Citywide Safety Inspections and Displaced Residents
Bangkok city administration announced the deployment of over 100 engineers to conduct structural safety evaluations of buildings following more than 2,000 reports of damage across the metropolis.
Chadchart reported that as many as 400 residents were compelled to spend the night in public parks, as their residences were deemed unsafe for re-entry.
Unusual Tremors in Bangkok
Significant earthquakes occur infrequently in Bangkok. Friday’s tremors triggered widespread alarm, prompting shoppers and office workers to flee into the streets across the city.
While widespread devastation was averted in Bangkok, striking scenes emerged of rooftop swimming pools overflowing, sending water cascading down the facades of numerous towering residential and hotel buildings.
Even medical facilities were evacuated. One woman delivered her infant outside after being relocated from a hospital building. Furthermore, a surgeon continued a surgical procedure outdoors after evacuation, completing the operation, as confirmed by a hospital spokesperson to news outlets.
Myanmar’s Struggle and International Aid
Healthcare Crisis in Affected Regions
The most severe consequences of the earthquake are concentrated in Myanmar, where four years of ongoing civil conflict, stemming from a military coup, have already severely weakened healthcare and emergency response infrastructure.
Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing issued an uncommon appeal for international aid, underscoring the magnitude of the calamity. Historically, prior military administrations have resisted external assistance even in the aftermath of major natural catastrophes.
Myanmar declared a state of emergency across the six most severely impacted regions following the quake. At a primary hospital in the capital, Naypyidaw, medical personnel were forced to administer treatment to injured individuals outdoors.
“Mass Casualty Area”
One official characterized the situation as a “mass casualty area,” highlighting the overwhelming scale of the emergency.
“I have never witnessed anything of this magnitude previously. We are endeavoring to manage the situation. I am immensely weary at present,” a doctor confided to news reporters.
Devastation in Mandalay
Mandalay, a city with a population exceeding 1.7 million, appears to have suffered extensive damage. News agency photographs depicted numerous buildings reduced to piles of debris.
A Mandalay resident, reached via telephone, reported the destruction of a hospital and a hotel. The resident also noted a critical shortage of rescue personnel within the city.
A lengthy queue of buses and trucks formed at a checkpoint entering the capital city early Saturday, suggesting large-scale movements of people and supplies.
Global Response and Aid Offers
Offers of international aid have begun to materialize. President Donald Trump pledged assistance from the United States on Friday.
“It is truly terrible,” Trump remarked to reporters at the Oval Office regarding the earthquake when questioned about responding to Myanmar‘s military rulers’ appeal.
“It is a significantly serious event, and we will provide assistance. We have already engaged in discussions with the nation.”
India, France, and the European Union have also extended offers of aid. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced mobilization efforts to prepare and dispatch trauma injury supplies to the affected regions.