Burma/Bangkok – More than 1,600 people have lost their lives in Myanmar following a devastating magnitude-7.7 earthquake. Thai emergency teams worked tirelessly through Saturday night to locate survivors trapped in the rubble of a collapsed high-rise building.
Myanmarโs military junta raised the official death toll to 1,644, with 3,408 injured and 139 still missing, following Fridayโs shallow tremor. The earthquake has created a dire humanitarian crisis, leveling hundreds of buildings in a country already struggling with poor infrastructure. In response, military authorities launched a large-scale rescue operation and issued a rare appeal for international aid.
โI have declared a state of emergency in all affected areas and have opened all possible channels to receive international assistance,โ said military junta leader Gen. Min Aung Hlaing in a statement Friday night. โI invite any country or organization to come and assist the monks, nuns, and citizens in Myanmar who are in need.โ
With communication lines down and reports slow to emerge, images from Mandalay showed overwhelmed hospitals, with patients and desperate family members spilling into the streets. Emergency workers manually administered IV drips to the injured, while many were forced to lie on makeshift beds outdoors. The disaster left much of the affected areas without electricity or water, pushing residents to seek refuge wherever they could.
Several countries, including Malaysia and India, pledged aid, with India dispatching search and rescue teams. China announced Saturday it would provide 100 million yuan (approximately $13.8 million) in emergency humanitarian assistance, including two rescue teams and essential supplies.
โOn behalf of the Chinese government and people, (President Xi Jinping) expresses his deepest condolences to the families of the deceased, the injured, and all those affected by the disaster,โ Chinaโs embassy in Myanmar said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi echoed similar sentiments on X, stating that India stands in solidarity with Myanmar and is expediting disaster relief and rescue operations.
Russia also contributed aid, dispatching two planes carrying rescue personnel and medical specialists, including orthopedists, anesthesiologists, and infectious disease experts.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed his condolences, writing on X, โMy prayers go out to the people of Burma and Thailand impacted by the earthquake. We are in contact with these countries and, as President Donald Trump said, stand ready to provide assistance.โ
Thailandโs Urgent Search for Trapped Workers
As of 7 PM Saturday, Thai authorities updated Bangkokโs death toll to 10, with 42 people rescued and 83 still missing. Rescue teams are particularly focused on a collapsed government high-rise under construction, as well as other affected sites.
At least 15 individuals trapped in the wreckage of the State Audit Office building were still alive, according to rescue officials. โTeams are trying to get food and water to them. Some are trapped about three meters deep,โ said Suriyachai Rawiwan, director of Thailandโs disaster authority. โWe have approximately 72 hours to save them, as that is the survival window without water and food.โ
Bangkokโs Deputy Governor Tavida Kamolvej reported that those detected alive were grouped in numbers ranging from three to seven people, with the total missing potentially reaching 101. City officials deployed 130 engineers to inspect damaged buildings, responding to thousands of inspection requests. In the meantime, public parks have been kept open as temporary shelters for displaced residents.
Thailandโs King Vajiralongkorn extended royal medical care to the injured, with the palace announcing on X, โThe King of Thailand graciously extends royal medical care to all victims injured in yesterdayโs earthquakes.โ
Zaw Zaw Soe, Myanmarโs ambassador to Thailand, visited the collapsed construction site Saturday morning, as fears mounted that many of the trapped workers were Myanmar nationals. Thailand relies heavily on migrant labor from Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos for construction and manual work, with many seeking better economic prospects or fleeing instability.
Meanwhile, despite the widespread destruction, Myanmarโs military junta reportedly continued its bombing of rebel-held areas, including Sagaing Region and Shan State, according to the opposition National Unity Government.
Myanmar sits in a highly active seismic zone, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. Fridayโs earthquake is among the most powerful recorded in recent years. A similar event occurred in August 2016, when a magnitude-6.8 earthquake struck the country, though with significantly less devastation.
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