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Thailand and Myanmar residents describe horror after earthquake 'Like a ruined city': Myanmar earthquake survivors describe horror
(about 3 hours later)
People in Myanmar and Thailand have been talking about their shock and horror after a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck on Friday, toppling buildings across the two countries. The Burmese city of Mandalay has become the "scene of a tragedy", a survivor of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake which struck central Myanmar on Friday has told the BBC.
A resident in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, told the BBC the shakes were "quite intense" and lasted for around four minutes. "It's like a ruined city. Some are still stuck under rubble," she said. "It was so severe. So severe that I have never seen anything shaking like that."
Speaking to the BBC World Service's Newsday programme, the man, who wished to stay anonymous for security reasons, described waking from a nap to the building shaking violently. "There are so many people injured at the general hospital," she added, describing the damage across the city.
"It lasted around three to four minutes", he told the BBC, "I was receiving messages from friends and realising that it was not just in Yangon, but also many places across the country." Another woman revealed how she could hear the voices of people trapped inside a hotel which had collapsed.
The earthquake toppled buildings across the country and neighbouring Thailand. "I can hear mothers crying, friends, because their children are still inside the building. It's desperate to watch," the woman - a teacher - said.
The tremors, felt across Thailand and as far as China, caused a 30-storey skyscraper to collapse in the Thai capital Bangkok, trapping 43 workers under the rubble. "This earthquake is a total disaster," she continued. "We need help."
Residents ran into the streets as buildings shook and water splashed from rooftop swimming pools. According to official figures, at least 144 people have lost their lives in Myanmar, with more than 700 injured.
But building up a clear picture of exactly what is happening across the South East Asian nation is not easy.
Access has been limited since 2021, when the military took power following a coup. Foreign journalists are rarely allowed to enter officially due to a lack of press freedom.
Many of the people who spoke to the BBC, and other agencies, did not give their names for security reasons.
The earthquake toppled buildings across the country and neighbouring Thailand
A resident in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, told the BBC World Service's Newsday programme the shakes were "quite intense" and lasted for around four minutes.
The man, who wished to stay anonymous for security reasons, described waking from a nap to the building shaking violently.
"It lasted around three to four minutes," he said. "I was receiving messages from friends and realising that it was not just in Yangon, but also many places across the country."
The tremors were so strong they were felt well beyond Myanmar's borders - in China and Thailand.
In Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city, social media images showed collapsed buildings, including parts of the historic royal palace.
A 90-year-old bridge crumbled, while sections of the main highway linking Yangon to the city were torn apart.
Live: Follow the latest on the Myanmar earthquakeLive: Follow the latest on the Myanmar earthquake
Watch: Moment Bangkok high-rise under construction collapsesWatch: Moment Bangkok high-rise under construction collapses
What we know so farWhat we know so far
In pictures: Damaged buildings and buckled roadsIn pictures: Damaged buildings and buckled roads
Sirinya Nakuta told Reuters she was in her apartment with her children when the earthquake struck: "It didn't stop. I heard things falling down from upstairs like stones hitting on us. I told my kids, we can't stay here and we have to get out of here. So we ran down." Myanmar officials declared a "mass casualty area" at Nay Pyi Taw General Hospital in the country's capital, where patients lay on gurneys outside, intravenous drips hanging from makeshift stands.
Worapat Sukthai, deputy police chief of Bang Sue district, told the French news agency AFP that he could hear the sound of people screaming under the tower block collapse. The military junta also made a rare appeal for international assistance, declaring a state of emergency across six regions.
He said: "When I arrived at the site, I heard people calling for help, saying 'help me'. We estimate that hundreds are injured, but we are still determining the number of casualties." "We want the international community to send humanitarian aid as soon as possible," Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing said.
As the scale of destruction emerged, Myanmar officials declared a "mass casualty area" at Nay Pyi Taw General Hospital, where patients lay on gurneys outside, intravenous drips hanging from makeshift stands. Shin Thant Sanar, a student from Myanmar at the University of Sheffield, told the BBC she woke up to a frantic call from her mother. Panic filled her mother's voice as she said buildings had collapsed all around her.
"Moments later, my aunt walked in, crying; she had lost everything. It was a heart-breaking moment, made even worse when phone lines were cut off," the student said.
None of her family was injured, "but the destruction is overwhelming", she said.
"As it was Friday prayer time there, I learned that many people were inside mosques which also collapsed, injuring many and causing fatalities.
"The streets and buildings I grew up around are now unrecognisable."
Additional reporting by James Kelly, Andrée Massiah, Bernadette McCague and Liz Roberts
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing was seen visiting Naypyidaw hospitalJunta chief Min Aung Hlaing was seen visiting Naypyidaw hospital
The military junta that has ruled Myanmar since its 2021 coup made a rare appeal for international assistance, declaring a state of emergency across six regions.
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing was seen visiting Nay Pyi Taw hospital. He pleaded for foreign assistance: "We want the international community to send humanitarian aid as soon as possible."
Access to information in the military-ruled country is difficult. Internet use is also restricted. Communication lines also appear to be down as the BBC has been unable to get through to aid agencies on the ground.
In Bangkok, where metro and rail services were suspended, Zsuzsanna Vari-Kovacs described evacuating a restaurant. She said: "I was waiting for the bill and suddenly I started feeling the earth shake. At first, I thought it was just me, but then I saw everyone looking around. We ran outside immediately."
Deborah Punmachet was checking her phone when her chair suddenly toppled over. She said: "I was in my La-Z-Boy [a recliner] and all of a sudden it moved back and forth. Then it flipped over and I hit my head on a table."
Bui Thu, a BBC journalist who lives in Bangkok, said it had been at least a decade since the country experienced a powerful earthquake like it.
In Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, social media images showed collapsed buildings, including parts of the historic royal palace. A 90-year-old bridge crumbled, while sections of the main highway linking Yangon to the city were torn apart.
The United States Geological Survey has issued a "red alert", warning that "high casualties and extensive damage are probable". The death toll remains unknown, but the USGS estimates it could be in the thousands.
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