The number of deaths from an earthquake in Myanmar passed 1,000 on Saturday while the military government declared a state of emergency and called for blood donations
Junta said 1,002 people were killed and 2,376 wounded with 30 others declared missing, according to Myanmar state media, although those figures are expected to grow. The earthquake also caused at least six deaths in Thailand, with more than 100 missing after a building crashed in Bangkok, the capital.
The 7.7 earthquake epicenter was about 20 km outside the Mandalay, the second largest city of Myanmar with a population of 1.5MN, and at a depth of 10 km. It was followed by two rear dozen, including an earthquake of 6.4 near 12 minutes after the first.
“The number of victims is expected to increase further,” said Junta General Min Aung Hlaing Late Late on Friday. “In some areas, buildings have collapsed and we are still performing rescue operations.”
He made a prayer for “as much support as possible for the continued efforts of salvation.”
At a press conference on Friday evening President Donald Trump described the earthquake as “terrible” and said SH.BA would help Myanmar after giving details.
His comments came on the same day that the State Department officially announced the Congress that it would close the US Agency for International Development, which usually plays a critical role in relieving disaster.
European Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also provided support, while the UN allocated $ 5 million and the EU 2.5MN for immediate facilitation efforts. South Korea also pledged $ 2 million in aid through international aid groups.
The earthquake, which was the most powerful since the 2023 earthquake in Turkey and Syria, felt throughout the region, including in the provinces Yunnan and Sichuan of China, Vietnam and Bangladesh.
The US geological survey predicted that the number of deaths in Myanmar can exceed 10,000 based on its modeling, as “high victims and extensive damage are possible and disaster is likely to spread”.
She added that economic losses could exceed the country’s GDP, which was $ 66.76 billion in 2023, according to the World Bank.
UN Secretary General António Guterres said the KB was “mobilizing to help those in need” in the region, especially in Myanmar, which he said was “the weakest place in this current situation”.
Videos and images on social media showed widespread destruction in Mandalay, the historical capital of Myanmar, where the temples were destroyed, the royal palace was damaged and a 90-year-old bridge was crashed. Acques exploded on the highway to Yangon, the most populous city.
China sent RMB100MN ($ 14 million) urgent aid and rescue teams sent by Beijing and South-Western Yunnan provinces in Myanmar, according to Chinese state media. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a previous statement that it had not received reports on the death of Chinese citizens.
Russia also sent two rescue planes and medical staff, including K-9 teams, in Myanmar, according to the state-owned TASS news agency.
The misfortune struck while Myanmar has been wrapped in a civil war since a coup of 2021 that overthrew the elected government of the Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
The northern part of the country near the epicenter of the earthquake is particularly struck by fighting between the army and the armed pro-democracy and ethnic minority groups. About 3.5 million people have been moved inside, according to the UN.
The military has strongly controlled access to information, creating internet checks and pressing local media, while Western sanctions have isolated the country and dumped its economy.
Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite web, said he was preparing to provide equipment to support “communication and relief efforts”, pending the government’s approval. The system is not licensed in Myanmar, but armed resistance groups have used it to avoid government controls online, according to local media reports.
There are also concerns about the approach to the efforts of humanitarian aid within Myanmar, where military governments have limited international aid to catastrophe victims, according to the rights groups, including in Cyclone Mocha in 2023 and Cyclone Nargis in 2008, which killed more than 100,000.
In a statement, the head of Médecins Sans Frontières in Myanmar Federica Franco said the situation was “too challenging, not only to get information but also to physically achieve those people who urgently need help”.
She added that there were “significant interruptions of communication in some of the most striking areas … because of the constant conflict”.
Bangkok, the 17MN Thai capital, was carefully returning to normal Saturday morning, with the reopening of businesses and monks making rounds in the morning.
Metro services and light railways mainly resumed, as well as flights from city airports, albeit with some interruptions.
The worst damage to the city, which is 600 miles from the earthquake epicenter, came after a 33-storey building crashed, blocking dozens of workers.
Natanan, 27, was in the place of the collapse on Friday evening seeking news of his father, who works as a precursor. “I’m still waiting for hope,” he told Financial Times.
Additional reporting from William Langley to Guangzhou
