Rescue teams are seen at a construction site where a building collapsed in Bangkok on March 28 after an earthquake. — AFP
A powerful earthquake killed at least 144 people across Myanmar and Thailand on Friday, toppling buildings and bridges and trapping over 80 workers in an under-construction skyscraper in Bangkok.
The shallow 7.7-magnitude tremor hit northwest of the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar, and was followed minutes later by a 6.4-magnitude aftershock.
The quake’s devastation prompted a rare request for international aid from Myanmar’s isolated military junta, which has lost swathes of territory to armed groups. A state of emergency was declared across the six worst-affected regions.
At least 144 people in Myanmar were killed and 732 injured by a major earthquake that struck the country on Friday, state-run MRTV said on the Telegram messaging app.
Across the border in Thailand, three people were confirmed dead in the collapse of a skyscraper, with 81 more missing and believed trapped in the twisted metal and rubble of the under-construction building.
Myanmar looked to have borne the brunt of the quake, with hundreds of casualties flooding a hospital in the capital, Naypyidaw. The emergency department’s entrance had collapsed onto a car, with medics treating patients outside.
A hospital official ushered journalists away, saying: “This is a mass casualty area.”
“I haven’t seen [something] like this before. We are trying to handle the situation. I’m so exhausted now,” a doctor told AFP.
AFP reporters saw junta chief Min Aung Hlaing arrive at the hospital as the ruling military called for foreign help.
“We want the international community to give humanitarian aid as soon as possible,” junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told AFP at the hospital.
The rare plea from the junta raises the prospect that damage and casualties may be on a large scale, with Myanmar’s medical system and infrastructure ravaged by four years of civil war.
The quake will further stretch Myanmar’s ruling military, which is fighting a civil war against an armed uprising. The junta declared a state of emergency in multiple regions but provided no specifics of damage or injuries.
“The state will make inquiries on the situation quickly and conduct rescue operations along with providing humanitarian aid,” it said on the Telegram messaging app.
The Red Cross said roads, bridges and buildings had been damaged in Myanmar, and there were concerns for the state of large dams.
Mandalay is Myanmar’s ancient royal capital and at the centre of the country’s Buddhist heartland.
Social media posts showed collapsed buildings and debris strewn across streets in the city. Reuters could not immediately verify the posts.
Survivors wait to receive medical attention as they lie on the ground of the compound of a hospital in Naypyidaw on March 28. — AFP
Skyscraper collapse
In Thailand, Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters at least three workers had been killed, with 81 more trapped, after the collapse of a building under construction near the sprawling Chatuchak market.
Rescuers were surveying the tangle of rubble and twisted metal for a safe way to search for survivors, an AFP photographer at the scene said.
“I heard people calling for help, saying ‘help me’,” Worapat Sukthai, deputy police chief of Bang Sue district, told AFP.
“We estimate that hundreds of people are injured,” he said.
Across Bangkok and the northern tourist destination of Chiang Mai, where the power briefly went out, stunned residents hurried outside, unsure of how to respond to the unusual quake.
“I quickly rushed out of the shop along with other customers,” said Sai, 76, who was working at a minimart in Chiang Mai when the shop started to shake.
“This is the strongest tremor I’ve experienced in my life.”
A motorcyclist rides past a damaged road in Naypyidaw on March 28 after an earthquake in central Myanmar.— AFP
Buildings damaged
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra declared an emergency zone in Bangkok, where some metro and light rail services were suspended, further snarling the city’s already notorious traffic.
The streets of the capital were full of commuters attempting to walk home, or simply taking refuge in the entrances of malls and office buildings.
City authorities said parks would stay open overnight for those unable to sleep at home.
The quake was felt across the region, with China, Cambodia, Bangladesh and India all reporting tremors.
India, France and the European Union all offered to provide assistance.
A livestream broadcast by the state-linked Beijing News showed around a dozen emergency workers in orange jumpsuits and helmets on a street strewn with fallen masonry in the city of Ruili, on the Chinese border with Myanmar.
A video posted on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, and geolocated by AFP showed a torrent of water and debris cascading from the roof of a high-rise block in Ruili as people fled through a street market below.
Earthquakes are relatively common in Myanmar, where six strong quakes of 7.0 magnitude or more struck between 1930 and 1956 near the Sagaing Fault, which runs north to south through the centre of the country, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake in the ancient capital Bagan in central Myanmar killed three people in 2016, also toppling spires and crumbling temple walls at the tourist destination.
Pakistan expresses solidarity with earthquake victims
The Foreign Office announced that the embassies in Yangon and Bangkok would be available to provide assistance to Pakistanis in the event of emergencies.
It added that the Crisis Management Unit (CMU) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also activated to monitor the situation.
Meanwhile, it said Charge d’ Affaires (CdA) Anwar Zeb (+959880922880), Counsellor Muhammad Shoaib (+959448999967) and Consular Assistant Ali Sher (+959457099977) could be reached in Yangon while First Secretary Fahad (+66 95 968 1506) and Consular Assistant Yaseen (+66 91 697 7702) could be reached in Bangkok.
“Pakistan stands in complete solidarity with the brotherly people of Myanmar and Thailand in the wake of this unprecedented natural calamity,” it said.
It also expressed grief over the devastating earthquake.
“Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this tragedy, and we are praying for all those affected as well as for the speedy recovery of the injured,” the FO said.
The FO applauded the courageous individuals and emergency responders who were working diligently on the ground to deliver rescue and relief efforts, adding that their bravery and commitment during this urgent time were truly admirable.
The statement expressed solidarity with the governments and communities affected during this challenging period.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the United Nations was mobilising in Southeast Asia to help those in need.
Amnesty International said the earthquake could not have come at a worse time for Myanmar, given the number of displaced people, the existing need for relief aid, and cuts to US aid by President Donald Trump’s administration.
Restricted media access meant a clear picture of the extent of damage and loss might not emerge for some time, the group’s Myanmar researcher, Joe Freeman, said.
However, President Donald Trump vowed the US would assist Myanmar. Trump told reporters “we will be helping” as images emerged of flattened buildings, downed bridges and cracked roads.
Asia News Network/Dawn
