Myanmar death toll passes 1,000 after strong earthquake, with over 2,000 injured

The death toll in Myanmar from a strong earthquake has passed 1,000, with 2,376 people injured and 30 missing, according to the state-run MRTV.

It said that the isolated military junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing, had ordered a prompt rescue effort in affected regions.

Friday’s magnitude-7.7 quake shook the region, with neighbouring Thailand continuing rescue efforts after a 30-storey construction site collapsed, killing at least three people and trapping dozens of others under the rubble.

Mr Hlaing said the main earthquake was followed by three aftershocks, according to the state-owned New Light of Myanmar.

“The number of casualties is expected to rise further,” he said in an address to the nation, “In some areas, buildings have collapsed, and we are still carrying out rescue operations in those locations.

“I have declared a state of emergency in all affected areas and have opened all possible channels to receive international assistance.

“Infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and buildings were affected, leading to casualties and injuries among civilians. Search and rescue operations are currently being carried out in the affected areas.”

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The United States Geological Service’s (USGS) predictive modelling estimated the death toll could exceed 10,000 people in Myanmar and that losses could be greater than the value of the country’s gross domestic product.

Susan Hough, a scientist in the USGS’s Earthquake Hazards Program, told Reuters it was difficult to predict an earthquake’s death toll for various reasons, including timing.

When an earthquake strikes during the daytime, as it did in Myanmar, “people are awake, they have their wits about them, they are better able to respond,” she said.

Biggest quake in Myanmar in over a century, impacting Bangkok

It was the biggest quake to hit Myanmar in over a century, according to US geologists, and the tremors were powerful enough to severely damage buildings across Bangkok, which is 1,000 kilometres from the epicentre.

A rescue mission was stepped up on Saturday to find construction workers trapped under the rubble of a collapsed 33-storey tower in the Thai capital.

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said around 10 people had been confirmed killed across the city, most in the skyscraper collapse, and up to 100 workers were still missing at the building.

A 37-strong team from China landed in Yangon, Myanmar’s former capital, early on Saturday local time, carrying medicine and equipment to detect signs of life with them, the Chinese embassy said in a Facebook post.

Russia said it was sending 120 experienced rescuers, doctors and search dogs, according to state news agency TASS.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he had spoken with officials in Myanmar and that his administration would provide some assistance.

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Dr Hough, who worked in Myanmar on the local seismology network, said the country’s mix of modern structures and traditional buildings would also play a role. Traditional buildings “are going to be less potentially deadly than concrete,” she said.

Thai authorities said nine people had died and 101 were missing in Bangkok, mostly labourers trapped in the rubble of the collapsed tower.

“We will do everything, we will not give up on saving lives, we will use all resources,” Mr Sittipunt said at the site, as excavators moved debris and drones scoured the rubble searching for survivors.

The Thai capital ground to a halt on Friday and Mr Sittipunt said hundreds of people had spent the night in city parks, but he said the situation was improving.

Reuters/AFP

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