Myanmar earthquake LIVE updates: Death toll nears 150, Bangkok building collapse rescue on

Live updates on the Myanmar earthquake have concluded as rescue operations and recovery efforts continue across the affected regions. For more updates, stay tuned.

A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit central Myanmar, causing widespread destruction, fatalities, and aftershocks, affecting neighboring Thailand.

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• Magnitude and Impact: A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar and neighboring Thailand on Friday, with the epicenter near Mandalay, Myanmar. It was followed by a 6.4 magnitude aftershock.
• Affected Areas: The quake caused destruction in Myanmar and Thailand, including buildings, a bridge, and a dam. Tremors were also felt in China's Yunnan province.
• Casualties: In Bangkok, 8 people were confirmed dead, including 7 at a collapsed high-rise construction site. Around 90 people are missing, and rescue efforts are ongoing, with drones and rescue dogs deployed. In Myanmar, at least 144 people were confirmed dead, and 732 were injured, though the toll is expected to rise due to ongoing rescue efforts.
• State of Emergency: Thailand declared a state of emergency in Bangkok, which has been designated a disaster area. Myanmar also declared a state of emergency across six regions and called for international help.
• Damage in Thailand: Witnesses reported evacuations from swaying buildings, with plaster falling. Roads in Myanmar showed significant damage, including large cracks. Water was seen sloshing over the side of a high-rise building in Bangkok.
• Rescue Operations: Thai authorities set up an earthquake response command center. Police are evacuating unsafe buildings and managing traffic in Bangkok. In Myanmar, rescue efforts are complicated by civil war and restricted information.
• Humanitarian and International Response: Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch urged Myanmar’s military junta to allow humanitarian aid. The Red Cross expressed concerns over the safety of large-scale dams in the region. WHO is mobilizing medical supplies and trauma injury kits. Myanmar’s National Unity Government is offering humanitarian assistance, with anti-junta militias providing aid despite communication challenges.
• Global Support Offers: The EU and France have offered assistance. Pope Francis expressed his condolences and prayers for the victims. UK foreign secretary David Lammy advised nationals in both countries to follow government advice.

The United Nations is mobilising in Southeast Asia to help those in need, UN secretary-general António Guterres said on Friday after a powerful earthquake centered in Myanmar rocked the region.

“The government of Myanmar has asked for international support and our team in Myanmar is already in contact in order to fully mobilise our resources in the region to support the people of Myanmar,” Guterres said.

“But of course there are other countries impacted. The epicenter is in Myanmar, and Myanmar is the weakest country in this present situation,” he added.

Pope Francis has 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.

At least 144 people have died, and more than 700 others were injured after a powerful earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday, authorities confirmed. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, in a televised address on state broadcaster MRTV, announced that international assistance had been requested for relief efforts. "I have allowed some offers for support from the AHA Center and India," he stated.
 

The World Health Organization (WHO) is readying medical supplies for the “huge” Myanmar earthquake, AFP reports. The WHO said it had triggered its emergency management system in response to Friday’s “huge” earthquake in Myanmar and was mobilising its logistics hub in Dubai to prepare trauma injury supplies.

The WHO is coordinating its earthquake response from its Geneva headquarters “because we see this as a huge event” with “clearly a very, very big threat to life and health”, spokesperson Margaret Harris told a media briefing.

“We’ve activated our logistics hub to look particularly for trauma supplies and things like external fixators because we expect that there will be many, many injuries that need to be dealt with,” Harris said. She added that the WHO would focus on sending essential medicines.

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.

Director of National Centre for Seismology (NCS) Dr OP Mishra on Friday stated that the six earthquakes that jolted Myanmar were on the longest fault line, Sagaing Fault, which stretches to 1200 km. Further, he stated that this was not the first occurrence of an earthquake above 7 on the Richter scale.

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Three people have been confirmed dead following the collapse of a building in Bangkok, according to Thailand's National Institute for Emergency Medicine. In a Facebook update, the institute reported that 68 others have been injured and hospitalized, with five in critical condition. The deputy prime minister of Thailand confirmed that 81 construction workers remain trapped under the rubble.

• A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar around noon local time (06:00 GMT).

• Since the initial quake, four smaller aftershocks ranging between 4.5 and 6.6 in magnitude have been recorded.

• Myanmar is ruled by a military regime, making it challenging to gather information about the full extent of the damage.

• The death toll and overall damage are still unknown, but reports suggest significant destruction.

• A rescue worker in Mandalay stated that the damage is "enormous" and casualties are "at least in the hundreds."

• The Red Cross has confirmed "significant damage" in several areas.

• A state of emergency has been declared in six regions of Myanmar.

• Images and videos show severe damage to buildings and roads, including a large bridge collapsing.

• The exact extent of the damage and the areas affected remains unclear.

• In neighboring Thailand, three construction workers were killed and dozens injured after a high-rise building collapsed in Bangkok.

• In Bangkok, residents reported feeling buildings swaying during the quake.

At least 20 people have died at a major hospital in Myanmar's capital, Naypyidaw, after a powerful earthquake struck the country, causing widespread destruction. A doctor at the 1,000-bed general hospital, who spoke to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on condition of anonymity, confirmed the deaths, stating that many others were injured upon arrival.

The number of workers missing at the collapsed high-rise construction site in Bangkok has risen to 81, according to Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister, up from an earlier estimate of 70. The Thai government is coordinating an emergency response at the site, mobilizing search and rescue teams. Disaster centres have been instructed to prepare relief equipment and machinery. Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin confirmed that 409 people were working on the site when it collapsed. Images from the scene show rescue workers already on-site.

Amnesty International has urged Myanmar’s military junta to grant “unimpeded access to all humanitarian organisations” following the ongoing conflict. The junta, which seized power in a 2021 coup, has faced widespread opposition and accusations of blocking aid to regions where its opponents are active.

The Indian Embassy in Thailand issued a statement on Friday, assuring that it is closely monitoring the situation after powerful earthquake tremors were recorded in Bangkok and other parts of Thailand. In case of any emergency, Indian nationals in Thailand are advised to contact the emergency number +66 618819218. This number is available 24/7 for assistance.

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France also said on Friday it stood ready to provide support after a powerful earthquake hit Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand, adding that its diplomatic premises in the Thai capital had been evacuated, reports AFP.

“We are ready to provide support as soon as the need has been expressed and we have evacuated our premises in Bangkok to guard against any form of risk,” said foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who was in Shanghai on Friday, referring to the French embassy, schools, and other buildings.

The collapse of an under-construction high-rise building in Bangkok, caught on viral video, has become the defining symbol of the devastation caused by the 7.7-magnitude Myanmar earthquake.

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