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| Myanmar earthquake: at least 144 killed as rescues also continue in Bangkok | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Junta makes rare call for aid as hundreds injured by 7.7-magnitude quake, which also brought down high-rise in Thai capital | |
| Myanmar’s junta chief says at least 144 people have been killed and 732 injured by a major earthquake that struck the country and also brought down a high-rise building under construction in the Thai capital, Bangkok. | |
| Min Aung Hlaing said he expected the toll to rise and he was inviting “any country, any organisation” to help with relief efforts – a rare request from the isolated junta. | |
| The powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar at 1.20pm local time at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles). Its epicentre was about 17.2km from Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city. | |
| In Thailand, three people were killed when a high-rise building under construction in Bangkok collapsed. Rescuers are searching for another 81 people trapped in the rubble. | |
| On the Myanmar side of the border, witnesses and local media said people had been killed in the city of Mandalay and the towns Toungoo and Aungban. Hundreds of casualties were taken to a hospital in the capital, Naypyidaw, with injured people being treated outside because of damage to the building. | |
| The scale of the damage in Myanmar is yet to become clear, though social media footage emerging from central regions has shown multiple buildings collapsed or damaged. | The scale of the damage in Myanmar is yet to become clear, though social media footage emerging from central regions has shown multiple buildings collapsed or damaged. |
| Myanmar’s junta, which has lost swathes of territory to armed groups, declared a state of emergency across the six worst-affected regions and asked for international aid. State TV also made a domestic appeal for medical supplies and blood donations due to what it said were “so many” injuries in three urban centres. | |
| The quake will further stretch Myanmar’s ruling military, which is fighting against an armed uprising. The anti-junta militias, known as the people’s defence forces, said their troops would provide humanitarian help. | |
| Footage reportedly taken inside Mandalay airport showed people racing to safety through dusty hallways, the floor scattered with ceiling panels. The videos, published by local media, show panicked people crouching on the floor outside the airport for safety. | Footage reportedly taken inside Mandalay airport showed people racing to safety through dusty hallways, the floor scattered with ceiling panels. The videos, published by local media, show panicked people crouching on the floor outside the airport for safety. |
| A witness in Mandalay, who asked not to be named, said eight people had been killed and others were feared trapped after a construction building in Pyigyitagon township collapsed. “The whole of Mandalay city was affected by the earthquake. The rescue teams and hospitals are now overrun. We are managing with the resources we have in the neighbourhood,” they said. | A witness in Mandalay, who asked not to be named, said eight people had been killed and others were feared trapped after a construction building in Pyigyitagon township collapsed. “The whole of Mandalay city was affected by the earthquake. The rescue teams and hospitals are now overrun. We are managing with the resources we have in the neighbourhood,” they said. |
| Images published by Khit Thit Media, a news agency based in Myanmar, showed piles of bricks and rubble outside a damaged mosque, also in Mandalay. At least 20 people had died there, it reported, though it was not possible to verify this figure. | Images published by Khit Thit Media, a news agency based in Myanmar, showed piles of bricks and rubble outside a damaged mosque, also in Mandalay. At least 20 people had died there, it reported, though it was not possible to verify this figure. |
| At least three people were also killed after a mosque in Toungoo, in Bago region, partly collapsed, two witnesses told Reuters. “We were saying prayers when the shaking started … Three died on the spot,” said a witness. Local media reported that at least two people died and 20 were injured after a hotel collapsed in Aungban. | At least three people were also killed after a mosque in Toungoo, in Bago region, partly collapsed, two witnesses told Reuters. “We were saying prayers when the shaking started … Three died on the spot,” said a witness. Local media reported that at least two people died and 20 were injured after a hotel collapsed in Aungban. |
| In a briefing from Yangon, Marie Manrique, programme coordinator for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said: “Public infrastructure has been damaged including roads, bridges and public buildings. We currently have concerns for large-scale dams that people are watching to see the conditions of them. We anticipate the impact to be quite large.” | In a briefing from Yangon, Marie Manrique, programme coordinator for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said: “Public infrastructure has been damaged including roads, bridges and public buildings. We currently have concerns for large-scale dams that people are watching to see the conditions of them. We anticipate the impact to be quite large.” |
| Myanmar has been gripped by conflict since the military seized power in February 2021 in a coup widely opposed by the public. It has since launched brutal crackdowns on any forms of opposition, and it is dangerous for journalists to operate inside the country. | Myanmar has been gripped by conflict since the military seized power in February 2021 in a coup widely opposed by the public. It has since launched brutal crackdowns on any forms of opposition, and it is dangerous for journalists to operate inside the country. |
| In Bangkok, city authorities declared the capital a disaster-stricken area, saying they needed to assess and monitor damaged areas, and help people who may still be at risk. People ran out on to the streets in panic, many of them hotel guests in bathrobes and swimming costumes, as water cascaded down from an elevated pool at one luxury hotel. | In Bangkok, city authorities declared the capital a disaster-stricken area, saying they needed to assess and monitor damaged areas, and help people who may still be at risk. People ran out on to the streets in panic, many of them hotel guests in bathrobes and swimming costumes, as water cascaded down from an elevated pool at one luxury hotel. |
| In the northern tourist destination of Chiang Mai, where the power briefly went out, stunned residents also hurried outside, unsure how to respond. “I quickly rushed out of the shop along with other customers,” said Sai, 76, who was working at a minimart in Chiang Mai when the shop started to shake. “This is the strongest tremor I’ve experienced in my life,” Sai told Agence France-Presse. | In the northern tourist destination of Chiang Mai, where the power briefly went out, stunned residents also hurried outside, unsure how to respond. “I quickly rushed out of the shop along with other customers,” said Sai, 76, who was working at a minimart in Chiang Mai when the shop started to shake. “This is the strongest tremor I’ve experienced in my life,” Sai told Agence France-Presse. |