At least 144 killed in Myanmar after earthquake – as 100 missing in Bangkok skyscraper collapse
At least 144 people have been killed and 730 others injured in Myanmar following a powerful earthquake, according to the head of the country’s military government.
“The death toll and injuries are expected to rise,” Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said on television.
The 7.7 magnitude quake struck around 12.50pm local time (6.20am UK time) on Friday at a shallow depth of six miles, with the epicentre about 10 miles from the second city of Mandalay.
There were also aftershocks, with one measuring a strong 6.4 magnitude 12 minutes later.
Neighbouring Thailand was also rocked by the earthquake, with eight people killed in the capital Bangkok, after a 33-storey skyscraper, which had been under construction, collapsed.
Rescuers searching through the rubble of the tower block for survivors have said more than 100 people were missing.
Footage showed the high-rise in the Chatuchak area crashing to the ground as people ran away from the scene.
In Myanmar, buildings in five cities and towns collapsed, along with a railway bridge and a road bridge on the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway, state media reported.
Images showed the destroyed Ava Bridge over the Irrawaddy River, with its arches leaning into the water.
Rescue workers at the scene of the collapsed building in Bangkok. Pic: AP
A rescue worker from the Moe Saydanar charity group said it had retrieved at least 60 bodies from monasteries and buildings in Pyinmanar, near the capital Naypyidaw, and more people were trapped.
‘Building collapsed in front of my eyes’
“We all ran out of the house as everything started shaking,” a Mandalay resident said.
“I witnessed a five-storey building collapse in front of my eyes. Everyone in my town is out on the road and no one dares to go back inside buildings.”
Another Mandalay resident said destruction stretched across the whole city, and one neighbourhood, Sein Pan, was on fire.
Roads were damaged, phone lines disrupted and there was no electricity, they said.
Other eyewitnesses said three people died while praying when a mosque partially collapsed in the Bago Region. Images have also emerged of a destroyed temple in Naypyidaw.
Meanwhile, local media has reported that at least two people died and 20 were injured after a hotel collapsed in Aung Ben.
Civil war in Myanmar
The natural disaster comes as the country is in the grip of a civil war.
The ruling military junta said a state of emergency has been declared in Sagaing Region, Mandalay Region, Magway Region and northeastern Shan State, Nay Pyi Taw Council Area, and Bago Region.
The junta added in a statement: “The government has ordered a rapid investigation of the damage in these areas, We will carry out relief and relief operations promptly. We will also work to provide necessary disaster relief and humanitarian assistance.”
Getting aid into war-ravaged Myanmar will be difficult
By Cordelia Lynch, Asia correspondent, in Bangkok
I was in the office in Bangkok at around 1.30pm when I felt the tremors.
Lights start to swing, the windowpanes shook and people rushed downstairs to evacuate the building.
The prime minister has established a “war room”- a very rare move, to help respond to the impact of the tremors.
The damage in Myanmar appears far worse though.
And this in a country ravaged by civil war.
Getting information from there is very challenging. Getting aid into affected areas will be too.
The Red Cross has said downed power lines are adding to challenges for their teams trying to reach Mandalay and Sagaing regions and southern Shan state.
Tremors also affected Laos, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.
