Closing summary
It is night now in Mandalay, Myanmar, and Bangkok, Thailand. Here is what we know so far after an earthquake with a 7.7 magnitude hit central Myanmar on Friday.
A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand on Friday, destroying buildings, a bridge and a dam. The quake, with an epicenter near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, struck at midday and was followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock. Tremors were also felt in China’s south-west Yunnan province, according to Beijing’s quake agency.
At least 144 people in Myanmar have been killed and 732 injured by a major earthquake that struck the country on Friday, according to Myanmar’s junta chief. 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.
Thai authorities declared a state of emergency in Bangkok, prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said on Friday, while Bangkok city hall said on Friday that Thailand’s capital had been declared a disaster area.
Eight people are confirmed to have been killed in Bangkok, the city’s governor Chadchart Sittipunt has said. This includes seven people killed at the construction site of the collapsed high-rise, where rescuers are still scrambling to save dozens of construction workers feared trapped under the rubble. Police are using drones to detect body heat in the search for survivors, and rescue dogs have also been deployed, Thai media reported. Thailand’s defence minister said 90 people were missing at the site of the high-rise building under construction that collapsed.
The earthquake was also felt in China Yunnan and Sichuan provinces and caused damage and injuries in the city of Ruili on the border with Myanmar, according to Chinese media reports. The shaking in Ruili was so strong that people couldn’t stand.
Bangkok’s governor Chadchart Sittipunt ordered the immediate establishment of an earthquake response command centre, and instructed all districts and hospitals to assess damages. Police officers have also been deployed to evacuate people from unsafe buildings and manage traffic. Prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra called an emergency meeting to assess the impact of the quake.
Witnesses described evacuating swaying buildings with plaster raining down on them, while images showed damaged roads with large cracks. Video footage of a Bangkok high-rise showed water from a pool sloshing over the side of it.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called for Myanmar’s military junta to allow humanitarian access. Earlier in the day, the junta made a rare call for international help as it declared a state of emergency across six regions.
The Red Cross shared its concerns for the state of large scale dams. “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”, Marie Manrique, programme coordinator for the International Federation of the Red Cross said to reporters in Geneva, via video link from Yangon.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is readying medical supplies and said it had triggered its emergency management system in response to Friday’s “huge” earthquake in Myanmar. It added that it was mobilising its logistics hub in Dubai to prepare trauma injury supplies.
Zin Mar Aung, the top diplomat of the Myanmar’s parallel national unity government, said troops from the anti-junta militias, known as the people’s defence forces, would be providing humanitarian help. “It’s very serious, we need humanitarian and technical assistance from the international community,” Zin Mar Aung said in a phone interview, adding communications was a major challenge, including internet restrictions imposed by the junta in a hard-hit area.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday the 27-country bloc stood ready to help after a strong, deadly earthquake hit Myanmar and Thailand. France echoed the offer of support, adding that its diplomatic premises in the Thai capital had been evacuated.
UK foreign secretary David Lammy advised British nationals in Myanmar and in Thailand to follow government advice. Earlier today, the UK Foreign Office warned “there may be several strong after-shocks” after the quake.
Pope Francis offered his prayers for the victims of the powerful earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand, the Vatican press office said. In a telegram published by the Vatican, Francis said he was “deeply saddened by the loss of life and widespread devastation” caused by the earthquake.
The US Agency for International Development announced it will send some teams to Thailand to help with recovery efforts. Donald Trump said he had spoken to officials in Myanmar and would be providing “help”.
That’s it from me, Donna Ferguson. Thanks for following along.
Scottish tourist Fraser Morton has told the Associated Press there was “panic” when the earthquake hit while he was shopping for camera equipment in a Bangkok shopping centre.
“All of a sudden the whole building began to move, immediately there was screaming and a lot of panic,” he said.
“I got outside and then looked up at the building and the whole building was moving, dust and debris, it was pretty intense.”
