The death toll from a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has passed 1,600, as efforts to find survivors and deliver aid continue in the war-torn country.
The latest figure of 1,644, announced by the ruling military junta, was a sharp increase on the 1,002 total it gave just hours earlier.
The number of injured rose to 3,408, while the missing figure was 139.
The earthquake struck on midday Friday with an epicentre not far from Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, followed by several aftershocks including one measuring 6.4 magnitude.
It sent buildings in many areas toppling to the ground, buckled roads, caused bridges to collapse and burst a dam.
Locals gather near a collapsed building in the aftermath of an earthquake in Mandala (Photo: Myo Kyaw Soe/Xinhua via AP)Myanmar, also known as Burma, is in the throes of a prolonged and bloody civil war, which is already responsible for a massive humanitarian crisis.
The ruling military junta, which seized power in a coup in 2021, has continued to bomb parts of the country despite the humanitarian disaster.
Opposing groups have reported strikes in Chang-U township in the north-western Sagaing region, the epicentre of the earthquake.
Rescue efforts are under way especially in the major stricken cities of Mandalay and Naypyitaw, the capital.
But even though teams and equipment have been flown in from other nations, they are hindered by the airports in those cities being damaged and apparently unfit to land planes.
Humanitarian operations have also been hindered by damaged roads and infrastructure.
Search and rescue operations for those trapped in the wreckage of a collapsed building in Bangkok (Photo: Daniel Ceng/Anadolu via Getty)The earthquake has severely damaged major bridges and roads, making it difficult for resources to reach areas in need, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
“Damage to the Yangon-Nay Pyi Taw-Mandalay expressway led to service disruptions, with cracks and surface distortions forcing highway buses to halt operations”, it agency added in a statement.
A state of emergency has been declared in six regions and states in Myanmar by the military-run government.
The earthquake also shook neighbouring Thailand, killing six people and injuring 26 at three construction sites, including one where a partially built high-rise collapsed in Bangkok.
Another 47 people were still missing, authorities said on Saturday.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said more people were believed to be alive in the wreckage as search efforts continued on Saturday morning.
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Most of Bangkok’s metro and light rail had resumed operation normally on Saturday morning, according to their operators, although two light rail lines remained closed pending further inspection.
The earthquake reportedly brought down multiple buildings in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, including the Ma Soe Yane monastery.
It damaged part of the former royal palace and buildings, according to videos and photos released on social media.
In the Sagaing region, southwest of Mandalay, a 90-year-old bridge collapsed, and some sections of the highway connecting Mandalay and Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon, were damaged.
In the Myanmar capital Naypyitaw, the earthquake damaged religious shrines, sending parts toppling to the ground.
Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC showed the earthquake toppled the air traffic control tower at Myanmar’s Naypyitaw International Airport.
Major General Zaw Min Tun, a military government spokesman, told MRTV that blood was in high demand in the hospitals in earthquake-hit areas, especially Mandalay, Sagaing, and Naypyitaw.
He urged blood donors to contact the hospitals as soon as possible.
A 37-member team from the Chinese province of Yunnan reached the city of Yangon early on Saturday with earthquake detectors, drones and other supplies, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Russia’s emergencies ministry dispatched two planes carrying 120 rescuers and supplies, according to a report from the Russian state news agency Tass.
A satellite image shows collapsed and destroyed shacks and buildings in Mandalay (Photo: Maxar Technologies)India sent a search and rescue team and a medical team as well as provisions, while Malaysia’s foreign ministry said the country will send 50 people on Sunday to help identify and provide aid to the worst-hit areas.
The United Nations’ emergency relief coordinator made an initial allocation of $5m (£3.86 million) for recovery efforts in the area as the international body works to recover from massive US funding cuts to the region.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said UN staff were working to gather information on the number of people impacted, damage to infrastructure and the scope of the humanitarian needs.
“The earthquake will compound an already dire humanitarian situation in Myanmar, where nearly 20 million people need assistance across the country, including more than 3.5 million people displaced from their homes,” he said.
President Donald Trump said on Friday that the US was going to help with the response, but some experts were concerned about this effort given his administration’s deep cuts in foreign assistance.
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