Yangon: The death toll from a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has risen sharply to over 1,000, with fears it could climb much higher, media reports said here on Saturday.
The quake, whose epicenter was near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, devastated one of the world’s poorest nations as it reverberated through the country and across Southeast Asia. It was followed 11 minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock, state-run MRTV reported.
In neighboring Thailand, at least 10 people have died and more than 100 are missing, many of them trapped in the debris of a 33-storey building in Bangkok.
In Myanmar, a reclusive state run by a military government that tightly controls information, there are limited details on the full scale of death and destruction, NBC news reported.
Myanmar’s military government declared a state of emergency in multiple regions, including Mandalay and the capital, Naypyitaw, and said search and rescue operations were underway in the hardest-hit areas.
“The full extent of destruction caused by this earthquake may not be clear for weeks,” Mohammed Riyas, the International Red Cross Director for Myanmar, said in a statement Friday.
The disaster is further compounded by Myanmar’s ongoing civil war, which has raged for four years — limiting access to aid, straining resources, and leaving millions already in crisis even before the earthquake hit.
According to the Red Cross, Myanmar has more than 19 million people in urgent need of humanitarian aid, with many displaced, facing food insecurity, and suffering from a healthcare system crippled by conflict.
Using a predictive analysis based on the strength and depth of the earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that a death toll over 10,000 is a strong possibility, and that losses could be greater than the country’s gross domestic product.
According to Myanmar state media, as of Saturday afternoon local time, 2,376 people were recorded as injured, and another 30 missing.
Amid concerns about aid delays following cuts to USAID under former President Donald Trump, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce insisted Friday that funding reductions had “no impact” on the U.S.’ ability to respond, but that no formal request for assistance had yet been received.
UNI
