By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – The authorities in Myanmar on Saturday said that the death toll could rise further as more bodies trapped under the debris are being extracted after a powerful earthquake hit the country on Friday.
They said the death toll from the powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake has risen to more than 800 as search and rescue operations continued on Saturday, according to local media reports.
Some reports claimed the casualties could be over ten thousand.
The earthquake, which struck west of Mandalay, was one of the deadliest the region witnessed in decades, caused widespread devastation, flattening buildings and leaving thousands injured.
Hospitals in the affected regions were overwhelmed with patients and bodies were seen lying in the open. At Mandalay General Hospital, injured were being treated on the floors outside the hospital and there was a significant shortage of blood and other medical equipment.
India have extended help to Myanmar already suffering from economic slowdown and ethnic clashes.
According to the United States Geological Survey the earthquake, recorded at a depth of 10 km, struck around 12:50 p.m. local time.
A series of aftershocks followed, one reaching a magnitude of 6.4, adding to the destruction.
The tremors were felt far beyond Myanmar, shook buildings in Bangkok, where hundreds were reported killed.
The government declared Bangkok an “emergency zone” as relief and rescue works continued.
The quake was also felt in Vietnam, but there were no reports of any significant damage to property or loss of life. Tremors were also felt in several regions across China and some parts of India.
According to seismologists, Myanmar sits along the Sagaing Fault, a region historically prone to major earthquakes. Experts warn that aftershocks could continue in the coming days, urging people to stay alert.
Another earthquake, with a magnitude of 4.2 on the Richter Scale, hit Myanmar late on Friday, the National Center for Seismology reported.
This came hours after a powerful 7.7 magnitude quake rattled much of Southeast Asia.
More than 150 people were confirmed dead and hundreds were injured after the first earthquake.
Myanmar military junta declared a state of emergency in six regions after Friday’s devastating earthquake, media reported.
Casualties are expected to rise as search and rescue efforts are underway across Myanmar and Thailand, officials said.
Thailand PM Shinawatra “immediately instructed the Ministry of Interior to declare Bangkok an emergency zone, and to notify provinces nationwide to treat the situation as a national emergency, enabling immediate public assistance if needed,” according to a statement from his office.
“The Prime Minister is returning to Bangkok immediately and urges the public to avoid high-rise buildings, use stairs only, and remain calm. All government agencies have been briefed, and schools have been instructed to send children home early.”
Over 144 people were killed and 732 injured in Myanmar after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake jolted the country, the Information Team of Myanmar’s State Administration Council reported.
However, the death toll was expected to go higher and could reach 1,000.
Myanmar’s State Administration Council Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said that the deaths included 96 from the capital Nay Pyi Taw, 18 from Sagaing and 30 from Kyaukse, according to the report.
The injured included 432 from Nay Pyi Taw and 300 from Sagaing, it added.
Many buildings were damaged, and rescue operations are underway, it said.
Min Aung Hlaing also called for assistance from the international community, the report said.
Photos from the capital of Naypyidaw showed multiple buildings used to house civil servants destroyed by the quake, and rescue crews pulling victims from the rubble.
Myanmar’s government said blood was in high demand in the hardest-hit areas.
Images of buckled and cracked roads in Mandalay and damaged highways as well as the collapse of a bridge and dam raised further concerns about how rescuers would even reach some areas in a country already enduring a widespread humanitarian crisis.
Tremors were also felt in China’s southwest Yunnan province, with Beijing’s quake agency reporting the jolt as a 7.9 magnitude earthquake.
Earthquakes are relatively common in Myanmar, where between 1930 and 1956, six strong quakes of 7.0 magnitude or higher struck near the Sagaing Fault, which runs north to south through the centre of the country, according to the USGS.
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