BREAKING
Myanmar’s military rulers report at least 694 deaths following an earthquake that also claimed 10 lives in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok.
The death toll from a massive earthquake that struck Myanmar and Thailand has exceeded 700, as rescue teams continue to search through the rubble of collapsed buildings in a frantic effort to find survivors.
According to a statement issued by Myanmar’s military government on Saturday, at least 694 people were killed and nearly 1,700 injured in the Mandalay region, Myanmar’s second-largest city and close to the epicenter of the quake.
In Bangkok, Thailand’s capital located approximately 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the epicenter, at least 10 additional deaths have been confirmed.
“Infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and buildings were damaged, resulting in civilian casualties and injuries. Search and rescue operations are currently underway in the affected areas,” Myanmar’s military stated, significantly revising the death toll upward from an earlier report of 144 fatalities.
The earthquake, with a shallow depth and a magnitude of 7.7, struck northwest of Sagaing city in central Myanmar on Friday afternoon. It was followed minutes later by a powerful 6.7-magnitude aftershock. The quake caused widespread destruction, flattening buildings, collapsing bridges, and buckling roads across large parts of Myanmar. Due to limited communication in remote areas, many believe the full extent of the disaster has yet to be revealed.
In Bangkok, rescue workers worked through the night on Friday to search for workers trapped under the rubble of a 30-story skyscraper under construction. The building collapsed in seconds, reduced to a pile of debris and twisted metal by the force of the quake.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt stated that around 10 people have been confirmed dead across the city, with most fatalities occurring at the skyscraper collapse site. However, up to 100 workers remain unaccounted for at the building site, located near the popular Chatuchak weekend market, a major tourist attraction.
“We are doing our best with the resources we have because every life matters,” Chadchart told reporters at the scene. “Our priority is acting as quickly as possible to save them all,” he added.
Bangkok city authorities have announced plans to deploy more than 100 engineers to inspect buildings across the city for safety after receiving over 2,000 reports of damage.
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