694 killed in Myanmar after earthquake

Six hundred and ninety-four persons died and 1,670 others were injured in Myanmar following a strong earthquake on Friday, AFP quoted the country’s military government as saying.

The earthquake struck near central Myanmar’s Mandalay city on Friday morning. Mandalay is the country’s second-largest city by population.

The earthquake of magnitude 7.5 took place at 11.50 am local time, according to India’s National Center for Seismology. A second quake, an aftershock, measuring 7.0 struck, at 12.02 pm, the centre said. The United States Geological Survey said the magnitude of the first quake was 7.7 and the second was 6.4.

Both quakes were shallow with a depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes tend to be more destructive.

In Mandalay, near the epicentre, the earthquake caused damage to sections of the former royal palace and other structures.

The junta declared a state of emergency in six regions and states, including Mandalay and capital Naypyitaw. The country is in the midst of a civil war that began in February 2021 following a military coup.

In a televised speech on Friday, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the junta, had said that the “death toll and injuries are expected to rise”. At that point, there had been 144 confirmed deaths and about 700 injuries in the country.

Deaths and extensive damage were also reported in neighbouring Thailand.

At least 10 persons were killed and 16 injured in capital Bangkok, about 1,000 km away from Mandalay, where an under construction skyscraper collapsed, the Bangkok Post reported.

Hundred and one persons were missing at three construction sites in Bangkok, the city’s Deputy Governor Tavida Kamolvej was quoted as saying.

A state of emergency was declared in Bangkok.

Damage was also reported in China, according to the Associated Press.

India sent humanitarian aid including food packets, hygiene kits and sleeping bags to Myanmar, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.

The United Nations said that it had made an initial allocation of $5 million to support life-saving assistance in Myanmar.

Watch: Skyscraper under construction collapses in Bangkok as 7.7 magnitude earthquake jolts Myanmar

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