Summary
Here’s a wrap-up of the day’s key events:
Damaged infrastructure in Myanmar is hindering humanitarian rescue operations, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. “Damage to the Yangon/Naypyidaw/Mandalay expressway led to service disruptions, with cracks and surface distortions forcing highway buses to halt operations,” the UN agency said.
Initial field reports indicate that upwards of 1,600 people have died, more than 2,200 people have been injured and more than 200 people remain missing as search-and-rescue operations continue. Most of the deaths were reported in the Mandalay area.
A state of emergency has been declared in six areas of Myanmar: the Bago region, the Mandalay region, the Naypyidaw territory, the Sagaing region and parts of Shan state. The military junta currently governing Myanmar has called for international assistance.
Initial reports indicate that Mandalay international airport (with commercial flights cancelled until further notice), major bridges, roads, universities, hotels, historical and religious sites, and public service buildings in urban and rural areas have been heavily damaged or destroyed. Thousands of people are spending the nights on the streets or in open spaces due to the damage and destruction to their homes or fearing further quakes.
Supply infrastructure and communication towers have been severely affected and electricity and water services were disrupted, including in the Yangon region. Landline, mobile and internet networks remain unstable.
Damage to the the Yangon-Naypyidaw-Mandalay expressway has led to service disruptions, with cracks and surface distortions, forcing buses to halt operations. As the full scale of the disaster unfolds, urgent humanitarian assistance is needed to support those affected, Ocha stressed.
The emergency relief coordinator has allocated $5m from the Central Emergency Response Fund (Cerf) to support urgent response efforts.
Hospitals and health facilities have sustained extensive damage or destruction.
A severe shortage of medical supplies is hampering response efforts, including trauma kits, blood bags, anaesthetics, assistive devices, essential medicines and tents for health workers.
The European Union (EU) said it was providing €2.5m ($2.7m) in initial emergency aid and assessing the needs on the ground in order to mobilise further assistance from the bloc. “The EU stands in solidarity with people in Myanmar and the broader region enduring the aftermath of this powerful earthquake. As in previous disasters, the EU stands ready to help those most in need,” said the EU crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib.
Updated
Here are some images coming through the newswires of rescue operations under way in Myanmar:
Updated
As darkness fell in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, many residents set up small tents and prepared to sleep on the streets rather than risk going back to their homes.
“We are afraid that some weak buildings might collapse,” said Ko Ko, who asked not to give his full name.
Mandalay was one of the areas worst affected by Friday’s earthquake, a shallow 7.7-magnitude tremor that was followed minutes later by a 6.4-magnitude aftershock.
Ko Ko had been driving in his car when the ground shook for the second time. “We stopped at the corner of the road because of the shaking. At that moment, a hospital collapsed right in front of me, like waffle sheets crumbling, and a large cloud of dust emerged like in the movie scene,” he said.
For the full story, click here:
Updated
Damaged infrastructure in Myanmar is hindering humanitarian rescue operations, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
“Damage to the Yangon/Naypyidaw/Mandalay expressway led to service disruptions, with cracks and surface distortions forcing highway buses to halt operations,” the UN agency said, Reuters reports, adding that hospitals in central and north-western Myanmmar are struggling to handle the influx of injured victims from the earthquake.
Updated
Rescue operations are under way in Thailand and Myanmar after a deadly earthquake that has killed nearly 1,700 people:
Updated
In the latest flash update on the Myanmar earthquake, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) has highlighted the following:
Initial field reports indicate that upwards of 1,000 people have died, more than 2,200 people have been injured and more than 200 people remain missing as search-and-rescue operations continue. Most of the deaths were reported in the Mandalay area.
A state of emergency has been declared in six areas of Myanmar: the Bago region, the Mandalay region, the Naypyidaw territory, the Sagaing region and parts of Shan state. The military junta currently governing Myanmar has called for international assistance.
Initial reports indicate that Mandalay international airport (with commercial flights cancelled until further notice), major bridges, roads, universities, hotels, historical and religious sites, and public service buildings in urban and rural areas have been heavily damaged or destroyed. Thousands of people are spending the nights on the streets or in open spaces due to the damage and destruction to their homes or fearing further quakes.
Supply infrastructure and communication towers have been severely affected and electricity and water services were disrupted, including in the Yangon region. Landline, mobile and internet networks remain unstable.
Damage to the the Yangon-Naypyidaw-Mandalay expressway has led to service disruptions, with cracks and surface distortions, forcing buses to halt operations. As the full scale of the disaster unfolds, urgent humanitarian assistance is needed to support those affected, Ocha stressed.
The emergency relief coordinator has allocated $5m from the Central Emergency Response Fund (Cerf) to support urgent response efforts.
Hospitals and health facilities have sustained extensive damage or destruction.
A severe shortage of medical supplies is hampering response efforts, including trauma kits, blood bags, anaesthetics, assistive devices, essential medicines and tents for health workers.
Updated
Exhausted and overwhelmed rescuers in Myanmar’s second-biggest city pleaded for help on Saturday as they struggled to free hundreds of people trapped in buildings destroyed by a devastating earthquake, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Rescuers in flip-flops and minimal protective equipment picked by hand over the remains of buildings, shouting into the rubble in the hope of hearing the answering cries of survivors, reports AFP.
“There are many victims in condo apartments. More than 100 were pulled out last night,” one rescue worker who requested anonymity told AFP.
As darkness fell on Saturday, AFP journalists saw dozens of people preparing to bed down in the streets for a second night.
Updated
The European Union (EU) said it was providing €2.5m ($2.7m) in initial emergency aid and assessing the needs on the ground in order to mobilise further assistance from the bloc.
“The EU stands in solidarity with people in Myanmar and the broader region enduring the aftermath of this powerful earthquake. As in previous disasters, the EU stands ready to help those most in need,” said EU crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib.
Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC analysed by the Associated Press (AP) show the earthquake toppled the air traffic control tower at the Naypyidaw international airport.
The photos taken on Saturday show the tower toppled over as if sheered from its base and debris lay scattered from the top of the tower, which controlled all air traffic in the capital of Myanmar, added the news agency.
The AP reports that it was not immediately clear if there had been any injuries in the collapse, though the tower would have had staff inside of it at the time of the earthquake on Friday. It likely also stopped air traffic into the international airport, given all electronics and radar would have been routed into the tower for controllers.
Updated
Here are some more images coming in via the newswires:
In Mandalay, Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists reported seeing dozens of people preparing to bed down for the night in the streets, preferring to sleep in the open rather than take the risk in quake-damaged buildings.
A 39-year-old resident of the Mandalay region described harrowing scenes as he tried to save a man trapped under the debris of a collapsed mosque in Sule Kone village, but had to flee because of strong aftershocks, reports Reuters.
“I had to leave him behind … I went in a second time to try to save him,” he said, declining to be identified. “I retrieved four people with my own hands. But unfortunately, three were already dead and one died in my arms.”
He told Reuters that 10 people had been killed there, and that they were among 23 who died at three mosques that were destroyed in the village. Government restrictions had prevented them being upgraded, he said.
Muslims are a minority in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar and have been marginalised by successive governments, while ultranationalist groups and extremist monks have in recent years incited violence, reports Reuters.
Myanmar authorities have for decades made it difficult for Muslims to obtain permission to repair or build new mosques, according to 2017 report by the US state department, which said historic mosques have deteriorated because routine maintenance was denied.
Buddhist buildings were also badly hit by the quake, with 670 monasteries and 290 pagodas damaged, according to the military government. It did not mention any mosques in its damage report.
Reuters could not reach the mosques or verify the accounts of the collapses.
Updated
Myanmar earthquake death toll now at 1,644, says junta
The death toll from the Myanmar earthquake has risen to 1,644, the ruling junta said on Saturday, with 3,408 people injured, according to Agence France-Presse.
A statement from the junta’s information team said that at least 139 people are still missing after Friday’s 7.7-magnitude quake.
Earlier on Saturday, the country’s military junta said the death toll had surpassed 1,000.
Updated
“In the beginning I didn’t think she would be alive,” Ye Aung told Agence France-Presse (AFP) as he anxiously waited for his wife – then buried in the rubble – to emerge. Phyu Lay Khaing, 30, was brought out of the Sky Villa condominium by rescuers on Saturday, AFP journalists saw, 30 hours after a devastating quake hit Myanmar.
“I am very happy that I heard good news,” said the trader, who has two sons with his wife – eight-year-old William, and Ethan, five.
A Red Cross official told AFP earlier that more than 90 people could be trapped under the remains of the apartment block.
Woman rescued alive from collapsed Mandalay apartment block - report
Rescuers pulled a woman alive from the wreckage of a collapsed apartment building in Mandalay on Saturday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists saw, 30 hours after a devastating quake hit Myanmar.
Phyu Lay Khaing, 30, was brought out of the Sky Villa condominium by rescuers and carried by stretcher to be embraced by her husband, Ye Aung, and taken to hospital, reports AFP.
Updated
Summary of the day so far
It is approaching 8pm in Mandalay, Myanmar, and 8.30pm in Bangkok, Thailand. Here is what we know so far about Friday’s huge earthquake that hit Myanmar:
The death toll from a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar rose to more than 1,000 on Saturday as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of buildings that collapsed when it struck near the country’s second-largest city. The country’s military-led government said in a statement that 1,002 people have now been found dead and another 2,376 injured, with 30 others missing. The statement suggested the numbers could still rise, saying “detailed figures are still being collected.”
The earthquake struck at about midday on Friday with an epicenter not far from Mandalay, followed by several aftershocks including one measuring a strong 6.4 magnitude. It sent buildings in many areas toppling to the ground, buckled roads, caused bridges to collapse and burst a dam. A state of emergency was declared across the six worst-affected regions in Myanmar after the quake.
In the capital Naypyidaw, crews worked on Saturday to repair damaged roads, while electricity, phone and internet services remained down for most of the city. The earthquake brought down many buildings, including multiple units that housed government civil servants, but that section of the city was blocked off by authorities on Saturday, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Bangkok city authorities said so far six people have been found dead, 26 injured and 47 are still missing, most from a construction site near the capital’s popular Chatuchak market. On Saturday, more heavy equipment was brought in to move lage amounts of rubble, but hope was fading among friends and family members of the missing that they would be found alive.
Thai authorities said that the quake and aftershocks were felt in most of the country’s provinces. Many places in the north reported damage to residential buildings, hospitals and temples, including in Chiang Mai, but the only casualties were reported in Bangkok.
Myanmar’s government said blood was in high demand in the hardest-hit areas. In a country where prior governments sometimes have been slow to accept foreign aid, Min Aung Hlaing said Myanmar was ready to accept outside assistance.
Flights carrying rescue teams from China have landed at the airport in Yangon instead of going directly to the airports in the major stricken cities of Mandalay and Naypyidaw. China said it had sent more than 135 rescue personnel and experts along with supplies like medical kits and generators, and pledged $13.8m in emergency humanitarian aid.
Russia’s emergencies ministry said it had flown in 120 rescuers and supplies. India also sent a search and rescue team and a medical team and Malaysia said it would send 50 people on Sunday.
South Korea said it would provide $2m worth of humanitarian aid through international organisations, and the U.N. allocated $5m to start relief efforts.
King Charles sent a message of condolence after the deadly earthquake in Myanmar, as he continues to work while recuperating after his short stay in hospital. In a message addressed to “the people of Myanmar” and posted on social media, King Charles said: “At this most difficult and heartbreaking of times, my wife and I send our deepest possible sympathy to all those who have suffered the profound tragedy of losing their loved ones, their homes and their precious livelihoods.”
President Donald Trump said Friday that the US was going to help with the response, but some experts were concerned about this effort given his administration’s deep cuts in foreign assistance.
Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC analysed by the AP show the earthquake toppled the air traffic control tower at Naypyidaw international airport as if sheered from its base. Debris lay scattered from the top of the tower, which controlled all air traffic in the capital of Myanmar, the photos showed on Saturday.
A woman has been rescued alive from a collapsed Mandalay apartment block, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
More details soon …
The AP reports that, according to Bangkok city authorities, six people have been found dead, 26 injured and 47 are still missing from a construction site near the capital’s popular Chatuchak market.
More heavy equipment was brought in to move the tons of rubble on Saturday, but hope was fading among friends and family members of the missing that they would be found alive.
“I was praying that that they had survived but when I got here and saw the ruin — where could they be? In which corner? Are they still alive? I am still praying that all six are alive,” said 45-year-old Naruemol Thonglek, sobbing as she awaited news about her partner, who is from Myanmar, and five friends who worked at the site.
“I cannot accept this. When I see this I can’t accept this. A close friend of mine is in there, too,” she said.
Waenphet Panta told AP she hadn’t heard from her daughter Kanlayanee since a phone call about an hour before the quake. A friend told her Kanlayanee had been working high on the building on Friday.
“I am praying my daughter is safe, that she has survived and that she’s at the hospital,” she said, Kanlayanee’s father sitting beside her.
While many people have heard of the Richter scale to measure the size of an earthquake, the current standard is the moment magnitude scale.
“The Richter scale is an old scale developed for California. It is only good for smaller quakes, and is not very good at differentiating the sizes of bigger shocks,” said Bill McGuire, emeritus professor of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London.
As the USGS website notes, the moment magnitude calculation is based on the strength of the rock where the slip occurred, the area of the fault that slipped, and the distance the fault moved.
“Thus, stronger rock material, or a larger area, or more movement in an earthquake, will all contribute to produce a larger magnitude,” it adds.
However, like the Richter scale, the moment magnitude scale is logarithmic, meaning that as the magnitude increases by one unit, the degree of ground shaking involved increases 10-fold.
“This is a major quake by any standard, and its impact is made far worse by the fact that it was very shallow – only about 10km down. If it had been 100km deep, the impact would have been much smaller, so depth as well as size is critical,” said McGuire.
But, he added, measurements do vary dependent on the locations of the seismic arrays used.
According to the China Earthquake Networks Center the Myanmar earthquake reached 7.9 magnitude, with tremors felt in China’s south-west Yunnan province.
Explainer: What caused Myanmar and Thailand earthquake
Earthquakes arise when huge slabs of rock that make up the Earth’s crust, known as tectonic plates, move against each other. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Myanmar quake occurred as the result of “strike slip faulting” between the India and Eurasia plates – meaning that these two tectonic plates rubbed sideways against each other.
“The quake happened on the Sagaing fault, which marks the tectonic plate boundary between the Indian plate to the west and the Eurasian plate to the east. The Indian plate is moving north along the fault compared to the Eurasian plate,” said Bill McGuire, emeritus professor of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London.
The USGS says the region has experience several similar large strike slip earthquakes in the past, with six occurring within about 250km of the current earthquake since 1900 that were magnitude 7 or greater.
“This is a major quake by any standard, and its impact is made far worse by the fact that it was very shallow – only about 10km down. If it had been 100km deep, the impact would have been much smaller, so depth as well as size is critical,” said McGuire.
UK for UNHCR, the UN refugee agency’s national partner for the UK, has launched an emergency appeal to help those affected by the earthquake in Myanmar.
“People who have already lost so much are now facing another disaster and more suffering,” said Mark Hopkinson, UK for UNHCR’s fundraising director. “The need for support has never been more urgent.”
A 7.7 magnitude earthquake was recorded in Mandalay on Friday, and was followed by an aftershock of 6.4 magnitude soon after. Several buildings have collapsed in Mandalay, roads are damaged, and six regions in Myanmar have declared a state of emergency.
In a statement, UK for UNHCR, highlighted the situation:
Myanmar is home to 3.6 million internally displaced people, many of whom were already struggling due to ongoing conflict. The areas worst hit by the earthquake-central and northwest Myanmar- are home to 1.6 million displaced people.
The earthquake’s tremors were also felt in Thailand, including in areas where over 80,000 refugees from Myanmar live in temporary shelters along the border.”
Friday’s earthquake was the biggest to hit Myanmar in more than a century, according to US geologists, and the tremors were powerful enough to severely damage buildings across Bangkok, hundreds of miles away from the epicentre.
Bangkok city authorities said more than 100 engineers will inspect the city’s buildings, after it received more than 2,000 reports of damage.
While there was no widespread destruction, the shaking brought some dramatic images of rooftop swimming pools sloshing their contents down the side of many of the city’s towering apartment blocks. Hospitals, hotels, offices and high-rise condos were all evacuated.
One woman delivered her baby outdoors after being moved from a hospital building, while a surgeon also continued to operate on a patient after evacuating, a spokesperson told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
But the worst of the damage was in Myanmar, where four years of civil war sparked by a military coup have left healthcare services severely overstretched.
Updated
King Charles has sent a message of condolence after the deadly earthquake in Myanmar, as he continues to work while recuperating after his short stay in hospital, reports the PA news agency.
In a message addressed to “the people of Myanmar” and posted on social media, King Charles said:
My wife and I were most dreadfully shocked and saddened to learn of the devastating earthquake in Myanmar, with its tragic loss of life and appalling damage to homes, buildings and livelihoods, not to mention the destruction of sacred pagodas, monasteries and other places of worship.
I know that the people of Myanmar continue to endure so much hardship and tragedy in your lives, and I have long admired your extraordinary resilience and spirit.
At this most difficult and heartbreaking of times, my wife and I send our deepest possible sympathy to all those who have suffered the profound tragedy of losing their loved ones, their homes and their precious livelihoods.”
Widespread power cuts have hampered rescue efforts in Myanmar, with emergency personnel relying on portable generators for power, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
After more than 24 hours of desperate searching, many are exhausted and desperate for relief. “We have been here since last night. We haven’t got any sleep. More help is needed here,” a rescue worker told AFP.
New Zealand’s foreign minister Winston Peters wrote on X that his government would support relief efforts “via the International Red Cross movement”.
“Our thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones, and to everyone else affected,” Peters said on Saturday, reports the Associated Press (AP).
New Zealand’s foreign ministry said all embassy staff in Yangon and Bangkok were accounted for and no New Zealanders had been reported hurt or killed.
Hong Kong will send a rescue team to Myanmar, reports the Associated Press (AP).
The city’s chief executive, John Lee, also extended his condolences to the earthquake victims in a Facebook post on Saturday
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s national fire agency said a rescue team of 120 people was on standby for possible deployment. The team included rescue personnel, doctors, nurses, a vet, six search-and-rescue dogs and 15 tons of equipment, reports the AP.
There are also some more images from Myanmar and Thailand, collated by the Guardian’s picture desk, at this link:
Here are some images coming in via the newswires today:
Global aid effort begins for Myanmar quake relief
Agence France-Presse (AFP) have gathered information on all the global relief efforts announced so far:
China sent an 82-person team of rescuers to Myanmar on Saturday, Beijing’s emergency management ministry said. A separate rescue team from China’s Yunnan arrived in Myanmar’s commercial hub Yangon on Saturday, CCTV reported. The Chinese government will also provide Myanmar with 100 million yuan ($13.8m/£10.7m) in emergency humanitarian assistance, with shipments to begin Monday, its international aid agency said on Saturday.
US president Donald Trump on Friday vowed Washington would assist Myanmar after it was hit by the quake. “It’s terrible,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. He added: “It’s a real bad one, and we will be helping. We’ve already spoken with the country.”
An Indian aid flight landed in Myanmar on Saturday. Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said a C-130 military transport plane had been dispatched carrying hygiene kits, blankets, food parcels and other essentials. “A search and rescue team and medical team is also accompanying this flight,” he added. “We will continue to monitor the developments and more aid will follow.”
South Korea’s foreign ministry said it would send $2m in humanitarian assistance “to support urgent rescue and relief efforts” after the earthquake. “The Korean government hopes that this support will help save lives and alleviate suffering in the affected areas,” the ministry said in a statement. Seoul said it could send additional assistance if the situation worsened.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was mobilising its logistics hub in Dubai to prepare trauma injury supplies after the quake and had triggered its emergency management response. The global health body was coordinating its earthquake response from its Geneva headquarters “because we see this as a huge event” with “clearly a very, very big threat to life and health”, spokesperson Margaret Harris told a media briefing.
Iran’s foreign ministry sent Tehran’s condolences to the people and governments of Myanmar and Thailand on Saturday and said it would be prepared to help with humanitarian efforts. “Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei … announced our country’s readiness to assist in the relief and rescue process,” it said.
Malaysia’s foreign ministry said it would also send a team to Myanmar. The deployment would consist of one commander and 49 rescue personnel “to support ongoing humanitarian and disaster relief operations”. Foreign minister Mohamad Hasan said the south-east Asian bloc Asean, of which Myanmar and Thailand are members, “stands ready to assist” both countries.
Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto sent condolences to Myanmar and Thailand, and offered to help. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of both countries during this difficult time,” he wrote on X late Friday. “Indonesia stands ready to provide all necessary support for recovery efforts in the affected areas.”
Updated
An Indian aid flight landed in Myanmar on Saturday, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said a C-130 military transport plane had been dispatched carrying hygiene kits, blankets, food parcels and other essentials.
“A search and rescue team and medical team is also accompanying this flight,” he added. “We will continue to monitor the developments and more aid will follow.”
More than 90 people could be trapped inside the crushed remains of an apartment block in Mandalay in central Myanmar destroyed by a devastating earthquake, a Red Cross official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Saturday as rescuers worked to free the victims.
The Sky Villa condominium development is among the buildings in Mandalay that were worst hit by Friday’s 7.7-magnitude quake, with several of its 12 storeys flattened one on top of the other.
“Nine people are dead and 44 have been extracted alive,” the Red Cross official at the scene told AFP, requesting anonymity. They added:
More than 90 people could be inside. We are still collecting data as people keep informing us they are looking for their missing family members.”
According to AFP, rescuers clambered over the ruins painstakingly removing pieces of rubble and wreckage by hand as they sought to open up passageways to those trapped inside.
The quake has killed more than 1,000 people in Myanmar but communications are badly disrupted and the true scale of the disaster is only beginning to emerge.
China to provide Myanmar with $13.8 million in quake aid, embassy says
China will provide Myanmar with 100 million yuan ($13.77m) worth of aid after an earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people, its embassy said on Saturday.
The aid will include tents, blankets, emergency medical kits, food and water and other essential items, with the first batch arriving 31 March, according to the Chinese embassy’s Facebook page, reports Reuters.
What we know so far
It has gone 3.15pm in Mandalay, Myanmar, and 3.45pm in Bangkok, Thailand. Here is what we know so far about Friday’s huge earthquake that hit Myanmar and its devastating effects:
The death toll in Myanmar has reached more than 1,000, as rescuers dig through the rubble of collapsed buildings in a desperate search for survivors. The ruling junta said in a statement on Saturday 1,002 people had been confirmed dead and 2,376 injured, with most of the dead in Mandalay. The statement suggested the numbers could still rise, saying “detailed figures are still being collected.”
The shallow 7.7-magnitude quake struck northwest of the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar in the early afternoon on Friday, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock. The quake destroyed buildings, downed bridges, and buckled roads across swathes of Myanmar, with severe damage reported in the second biggest city, Mandalay.
Myanmar declared a state of emergency across the six worst-affected regions after the quake, and at one major hospital in the capital, Naypyidaw, medics were forced to treat the wounded in the open air.
In neighbouring Thailand, which also felt tremors, Bangkok city authorities said so far six people had been found dead, 26 injured and 47 were still missing, most from a construction site near the capital’s popular Chatuchak market, where a high-rise building collapsed. Earlier statements had said 10 were confirmed dead and about 100 missing.
Bangkok city authorities said they will deploy more than 100 engineers to inspect buildings for safety after receiving over 2,000 reports of damage.
It was the biggest quake to hit Myanmar in over a century, according to US geologists, and the tremors were powerful enough to severely damage buildings across Bangkok, hundreds of kilometres (miles) away from the epicentre.
In Myanmar, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing issued an exceptionally rare appeal for international aid, indicating the severity of the calamity. Previous military regimes have shunned foreign assistance even after major natural disasters.
The United Nations allocated $5m to start relief efforts. President Donald Trump said on Friday that the US was going to help with the response, but some experts were concerned about this effort given his administration’s deep cuts in foreign assistance.
A 37-member team from the Chinese province of Yunnan reached the city of Yangon early on Saturday with earthquake detectors, drones and other supplies, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Chinese President Xi Jinping had spoken to Min Aung Hlaing, the Chinese embassy said, while state media reported he had “expressed deep sorrow” over the destruction.
Russia’s emergencies ministry have dispatched two planes carrying 120 rescuers and supplies to the region, according to a report from the Russian state news agency Tass.
India, France and the European Union offered to provide assistance, while the WHO said it was mobilising to prepare trauma injury supplies. India said it had sent a search and rescue team and a medical team as well as provisions, while Malaysia’s foreign ministry said the country would send 50 people on Sunday to help identify and provide aid to the worst-hit areas.
The south-east Asian bloc Asean recognises the urgent need for humanitarian assistance for Myanmar after a major earthquake and is ready to support recovery efforts, its foreign ministers said on Saturday, reports Reuters.
“Asean affirms its solidarity and will work closely to coordinate humanitarian assistance, support and facilitate relief operations, and ensure timely and effective humanitarian response,” the Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers said in a joint statement.
In Myanmar, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing issued an exceptionally rare appeal for international aid, indicating the severity of the calamity. Previous military regimes have shunned foreign assistance even after major natural disasters.
A 37-member team from the Chinese province of Yunnan reached the city of Yangon early on Saturday with earthquake detectors, drones and other supplies, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Russia’s emergencies ministry dispatched two planes carrying 120 rescuers and supplies, according to a report from the Russian state news agency Tass.
India sent a search and rescue team and a medical team as well as provisions, while Malaysia’s foreign ministry said the country would send 50 people on Sunday to help identify and provide aid to the worst-hit areas.
The United Nations allocated $5m to start relief efforts. President Donald Trump said on Friday that the US was going to help with the response, but some experts were concerned about this effort given his administration’s deep cuts in foreign assistance.
The Trump administration’s cuts to the United States Agency for International Development have already forced the United Nations and non-governmental organisation to cut many programmes in Myanmar.
India, France and the European Union offered to provide assistance, while the World Health Organization said it was mobilising to prepare trauma injury supplies.
Chinese President Xi Jinping had spoken to Min Aung Hlaing, the Chinese embassy said, while state media reported he had “expressed deep sorrow” over the destruction and said China was “willing to provide Myanmar the needed assistance to support people in affected areas”.
According to Agence France-Pesse (AFP), guards at Mandalay airport have turned away journalists.
“It has been closed since yesterday,” a guard told an AFP reporter. “The ceiling collapsed but no one was hurt.”
Damage to the airport would complicate relief efforts in a country whose rescue services and healthcare system have already been ravaged by four years of civil war sparked by a military coup in 2021.
In Mandalay, Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists saw a centuries-old Buddhist pagoda that had been reduced to rubble by the quake.
“It started shaking, then it started getting serious,” said a soldier at a checkpoint on the road outside the pagoda. “The monastery also collapsed. One monk died. Some people were injured, we pulled out some people and took them to the hospital.”
The head of the main Buddha statue in the monastery fell off and was placed on the platform at its feet.
“Everyone at the monastery dares not sleep inside, as we heard there could be another earthquake. I have never felt anything like this in my life,” the soldier told AFP.
Experts say Myanmar’s devastating earthquake was likely the strongest to hit the country in decades, with disaster modelling suggesting thousands could be dead, Agence France-Presse is reporting.
Automatic assessments from the US Geological Survey (USGS) said the shallow 7.7-magnitude quake north-west of the central Myanmar city of Sagaing triggered a red alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses.
“High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” it said, locating the epicentre near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay, home to more than a million people.
Myanmar’s ruling junta said on Saturday morning that the number killed had passed 1,000, with more than 2,000 injured.
However, the USGS analysis said there was a 35% chance that possible fatalities could be in the range of 10,000 to 100,000 people.
The USGS offered a similar likelihood that the financial damage could total tens of thousands of millions of dollars, warning that it might exceed the GDP of Myanmar.
Weak infrastructure will complicate relief efforts in the isolated, military-ruled state, where rescue services and the healthcare system have already been ravaged by four years of civil war sparked by a military coup in 2021.
Updated
Patients evacuated from a Bangkok hospital have been taken to a nearby sports hall where hospital beds are lined up beneath basketball hoops and beside football goals.
Agence France-Presse reports that when powerful tremors from Myanmar’s earthquake and aftershock shook the Thai capital on Friday afternoon, patients at Rajavithi hospital were rushed out of the building, some helped down stairs to nearby makeshift shelters, including to the hospital’s canteen and sports hall.
One patient, being treated for leukaemia, said she was moved from her private room to a hall in the hospital, walking down multiple flights of stairs aided by nurses.
I need to receive my blood platelets soon, and the hospital is currently checking which other hospital can provide the treatment.
Some patients were later moved back inside, while others were transferred to different hospitals this morning, a hospital staff member said.
On Saturday, around 30 patients were in the hall, where hospital staff provided basic medical care including blood transfusions.
Updated
Control tower collapse at Naypyitaw airport kills six – report
The main airport in Myanmar’s capital of Naypyitaw has been closed after Friday’s earthquake caused its air traffic control tower to collapse, killing at least six people, according to a news report.
The independent outlet Myanmar Now also said there were reports of extensive damage to aviation equipment.
It reported a source as saying that an air traffic controller, three female assistants, the son of one of the assistants and a military intelligence officer were confirmed dead following the collapse of the tower.
The report could not be independently verified.
It also cited an aviation officer at Yangon’s international airport as saying the radar systems at the airports in Naypyitaw and Mandalay were no longer operating.
Updated
The south-east Asian bloc Asean says it is ready to support quake recovery efforts in Myanmar and Thailand and recognises the urgent need for humanitarian assistance.
Foreign ministers from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations said in a joint statement on Saturday that the bloc “reaffirms its solidarity with the families and communities affected by the earthquake”.
They also said Asean “will work closely to coordinate humanitarian assistance, support and facilitate relief operations, and ensure timely and effective humanitarian response”.
China and Russia are the largest suppliers of weapons to Myanmar’s military and were among the first to step in with humanitarian aid.
The Associated Press reports that a 37-member team from the Chinese province of Yunnan reached the city of Yangon early on Saturday with earthquake detectors, drones and other supplies, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported.
Russia’s emergencies ministry dispatched two planes carrying 120 rescuers and supplies, according to a report from the Russian state news agency Tass.
India sent a search and rescue team and a medical team as well as provisions, while Malaysia’s foreign ministry said the country would send 50 people on Sunday to help identify and provide aid to the worst-hit areas.
The UN allocated $5m to start relief efforts. President Donald Trump said the US was going to help with the response, but some experts were concerned about this effort given his administration’s deep cuts in foreign assistance.
The Trump administration’s cuts to the US Agency for International Development have already forced the UN and non-governmental organisations to cut many programs in Myanmar.
Updated
In Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-biggest city, Agence France-Presse journalists saw a centuries-old Buddhist pagoda that had been reduced to rubble by the quake.
“It started shaking, then it started getting serious,” a soldier said at a checkpoint on the road outside the pagoda.
The monastery also collapsed. One monk died. Some people were injured, we pulled out some people and took them to the hospital.
The head of the main Buddha statue in the monastery fell off and was placed on the platform at its feet.
“Everyone at the monastery dares not sleep inside, as we heard there could be another earthquake,” the soldier said. “I have never felt anything like this in my life.
Guards at Mandalay airport turned away journalists, the AFP report said.
“It has been closed since yesterday,” one said. “The ceiling collapsed but no one was hurt.”
Damage to the airport would complicate relief efforts in a country whose rescue services and healthcare system have already been ravaged by four years of civil war sparked by the military coup in 2021.
Myanmar’s state-run MRTV is saying the death toll from Friday’s 7.7-magnitude quake has climbed to 1,002.
It said 2,376 people were injured and 30 missing, Reuters reports.
South Korea will provide $2m to Myanmar in humanitarian aid through international organisations in initial assistance to help the country respond to Friday’s earthquake, Reuters quotes its foreign ministry as saying on Saturday.
In Bangkok, where a skyscraper under construction came crashing down near the popular Chatuchak market, more heavy equipment was brought in on Saturday to move the tons of rubble but hope was fading among friends and family members of the missing that they will be found alive, the Associated Press reports.
“I was praying that that they had survived but when I got here and saw the ruin – where could they be? In which corner? Are they still alive?” said 45-year-old Naruemol Thonglek, sobbing as she awaited news about her partner, who is from Myanmar, and five friends who worked at the site.
I am still praying that all six are alive.
I cannot accept this. When I see this I can’t accept this. A close friend of mine is in there, too.
Waenphet Panta said she hadn’t heard from her daughter Kanlayanee since a phone call about an hour before the quake. A friend told her Kanlayanee had been working high on the building on Friday.
“I am praying my daughter is safe, that she has survived and that she’s at the hospital,” she said as Kanlayanee’s father sat beside her.
Updated
Quake toll passes 1,000 – report
The Myanmar quake toll has topped 1,000, Agence France-Presse is reporting, citing the country’s military junta.
Updated
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the earthquake that devastated Myanmar and caused the deadly collapse of a high-rise building in Bangkok on Friday.
The Myanmar junta on Saturday said almost 700 people had died in the quake. The country’s second biggest city, Mandalay, is believed to have been especially hard hit, with images showing widespread destruction.
Min Aung Hlaing, the chief of Myanmar’s junta, said on Friday he expected the death toll to rise and urged “any country, any organisation” to help with relief efforts – a rare request from the isolated military government, which has previously shunned foreign assistance even after major natural disasters.
The junta said blood was in high demand in the worst-affected areas as concerns grew about how rescuers would even reach some parts of a country already enduring a widespread humanitarian crisis.
In neighbouring Thailand, search and rescue efforts continued for up to 101 people reported missing from construction sites in Bangkok, including the high-rise.
Authorities on Saturday said six people had been confirmed dead and 22 injured, revising down the death toll of 10 from the previous day, saying several critically injured people were mistakenly reported dead.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said more people were believed to be alive in the wreckage as search efforts continued on Saturday morning.
We’ll bring you more updates as we have them.
