BANGKOK (AP) — The death toll from a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar increased to over 1,000 on Saturday, after more bodies were recovered from the rubble of numerous buildings that collapsed when the quake struck near the country’s second-largest city.
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The country’s military government declared in a statement that 1,002 dead have been found, there are 2,376 injured, and 30 people are missing. It hinted that the numbers could increase, and pointed out that “detailed figures are still being collected.”
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Myanmar is in the midst of a prolonged and bloody civil war, which has already caused a huge humanitarian crisis. This makes moving around the country difficult and dangerous, complicating aid efforts and increasing fears that the death toll could still rise sharply.
Strong earthquake shakes Myanmar and Thailand
A strong earthquake hit Myanmar on Friday, causing extensive damage in one of the poorest countries in the world. Authorities warned that the initial death toll - more than 140 - would likely rise in the coming days. In neighboring Thailand, at least 6 people died in Bangkok, where a skyscraper under construction collapsed.
The full extent of the deaths, injuries, and destruction is still unknown, especially in Myanmar, which is engulfed in a civil war and where information is strictly controlled.
“The head of Myanmar’s military government, General Min Aung Hlaing, said on television that the number of dead and injured is expected to increase, announcing that at least 144 people have died and 730 have been injured in the country.”
In Thailand, authorities in Bangkok said that 6 people died, 22 were injured, and 101 are missing at three construction sites, including a skyscraper. They updated the death toll on Saturday morning after having reported 10 deaths the day before, and mentioned that several severely injured individuals were mistakenly reported as deceased.
The earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.7, occurred at noon, with the epicenter near Mandalay, the second largest city in Myanmar. It was followed by aftershocks, one of them with a magnitude of 6.4.
Myanmar is located in an active earthquake zone, although many of the tremors occur in sparsely populated areas, not in cities like the ones affected on Friday. The United States Geological Survey estimated that the death toll could exceed 1,000.
In Mandalay, the earthquake allegedly brought down several buildings, including one of the largest monasteries in the city. In photos taken in Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar, rescue teams can be seen pulling victims from the rubble of various buildings where public officials are housed.
The government of Myanmar said there was a high demand for blood in the most affected areas. In a country where previous governments have been reluctant to accept foreign aid, Min Aung Hlaing said Myanmar was willing to receive assistance. The United Nations allocated 5 million dollars for aid efforts.
But as images of cracked and collapsed roads, a fallen bridge, and a burst dam circulated, concerns arose about how rescuers would reach some areas of a country already facing a humanitarian crisis.
“We fear it may take weeks before we understand the full extent of the destruction caused by this earthquake,” said Mohammed Riyas, director of the International Rescue Committee in Myanmar.
A bridge and a monastery collapse, and a dam bursts in Myanmar
The state newspaper in English, Global New Light of Myanmar, reported that in five cities and towns buildings had collapsed, as well as two bridges, including one on a road between Mandalay and Yangon. A photo on the newspaper’s website showed the remains of a sign that said “Emergency Department,” which according to the caption was part of the main hospital in the capital, with 1,000 beds.
Elsewhere, a video posted online showed monks in robes on a street in Mandalay, recording their own video of the multi-story Ma Soe Yane monastery before it suddenly collapsed. It is currently unknown if anyone was injured. The video also showed damage to the ancient royal palace.
Christian Aid said that their partners and colleagues on the ground reported that a dam burst in the city, causing water levels to rise in low-lying areas.
Residents of Yangon ran out of their homes when the earthquake occurred. In Naypyidaw, some houses were partially destroyed, and rescuers were removing bricks from the piles of rubble. A wounded man lay on a wheeled stretcher, while another man fanned him in the midst of the heat.
In a country where many people face difficulties, “this disaster will have left people devastated,” said Julie Mehigan, who oversees Christian Aid’s work in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
“Even before this devastating earthquake, we knew that conflict and displacement had left countless people truly in need,” Mehigan said.
The army of Myanmar seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, and is now embroiled in a bloody civil war with long-established militias and new ones in favor of democracy.
Government forces have lost control of much of Myanmar, and many places are incredibly dangerous or simply impossible for aid groups to reach. Over 3 million people have been displaced by the fighting and nearly 20 million are facing needs, according to the United Nations.
Building in Bangkok collapses amid a cloud of dust
In Thailand, a 33-story building under construction collapsed in a cloud of dust near the popular Chatuchak market in Bangkok, and in a video posted on social media, people could be seen screaming and running. Vehicles on a nearby highway came to a stop.
The sirens were blaring throughout downtown Bangkok as rescuers rushed to the rubble. Above them, the shattered steel and broken concrete blocks, some stacked like pancakes, rose in an imposing heap. The injured were quickly carried away on stretchers, and hospital beds were also moved to a sidewalk.
“It’s a great tragedy,” said Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit after seeing the site.
Although the area is prone to earthquakes, they are generally not very strong and are rarely felt in the Thai capital. The metropolitan area is home to over 17 million people, many of whom live in tall apartment buildings.
Voranoot Thirawat, a lawyer working in downtown Bangkok, said that the first sign that something was wrong was when she saw a lamp swinging from side to side. Then she heard the building creaking, and she and her colleagues fled down 12 flights of stairs.
“I had never seen an earthquake like this in Bangkok in my entire life,” he said.
Fraser Morton, a tourist from Scotland, was in one of the many shopping centers in Bangkok when the earthquake occurred.
“Suddenly the whole building started shaking. Immediately there were screams and a lot of panic,” he commented. Some people went down through escalators that were going up, he said.
Nearby, Paul Vincent, a tourist from England, remembered seeing a tall building swaying, water falling from a rooftop pool, and people crying in the streets.
The United States Geological Survey and the GFZ geoscience center in Germany said that the earthquake was shallow, at 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) deep, according to preliminary reports. Shallow earthquakes tend to cause more damage.
Injuries are reported in China
In the northeast, the earthquake was felt in the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan, and caused damage and injuries in the city of Ruili, on the border with Myanmar, according to reports from Chinese media.
The earthquake in Mangshi, a Chinese city about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of Ruili, was so strong that people couldn’t stand up, according to a resident interviewed by The Paper, a digital media outlet.