The death toll from a huge earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand passed 1,600 on Saturday as rescuers dug through the rubble of collapsed buildings in a desperate search for survivors.
At least 1,644 people were killed and more than 3,400 injured in Myanmar, with at least 139 more missing, the junta said in a statement. Around 10 more deaths have been confirmed in Bangkok.
But with communications badly disrupted, the true scale of the disaster is only starting to emerge from the isolated military-ruled state, and the toll is expected to rise significantly.
Rescues Amidst the Rubble
In Mandalay, AFP journalists witnessed rescue workers pulling a woman alive from the wreckage of an apartment complex.
(Photo: AFP via Getty Images)
After hours of painstaking efforts at the Sky Villa Condominium—where half of the 12-story building was flattened by the quake—30-year-old Phyu Lay Khaing was retrieved from the debris. She was carried on a stretcher, embraced by her husband, and immediately taken to the hospital.
Not everyone was as fortunate. A woman at the same building anxiously awaited news of her missing 20-year-old son, an employee there.
“We cannot find him yet. I only have this child—I feel so heartbroken,” said 56-year-old Min Min Khine, a staff cook at the building.
“He ate at my dining room and said goodbye. Then he left, and the earthquake happened. If he had been with me, he might have escaped like I did,” she told AFP.
(Photo: AFP via Getty Images)
Elsewhere in Mandalay, dozens of residents chose to sleep outside rather than risk staying in quake-damaged buildings, AFP journalists reported.
‘Am I Going to Survive?’
On the fifth floor of her university dormitory, Chit Thae Thae Zaw initially thought the rumbling from the lower floors was unusual. Then, the earthquake struck.
“I realized there was a problem, and if I didn’t get down soon, I wouldn’t be able to escape anymore,” she said. “I thought, ‘Am I going to survive?'”
Although she had experienced earthquakes in Myanmar before, nothing compared to this.
Rushing down to the ground floor, she emerged onto Mandalay’s dust-covered streets, where scenes of devastation unfolded around her.
“People were calling for help to rescue their family members trapped in collapsed buildings. Those who managed to escape were sleeping on the empty ground,” Chit said.
John McGown, Program Director for Plan International, an NGO active in Myanmar, highlighted the dire situation.
“We have staff members with family in Mandalay who couldn’t sleep inside their homes last night due to fear of aftershocks,” he stated.
Internet and phone services were also cut off in Mandalay, Sagaing, and parts of southern Shan State, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies reported on Saturday. Although some areas have since regained partial connectivity, the initial blackout left residents like Chit unable to check on their loved ones.
Devastation Across Myanmar and Thailand
The 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck northwest of Sagaing, central Myanmar, early Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a powerful 6.7-magnitude aftershock.
The quake caused widespread devastation, destroying buildings, collapsing bridges, and buckling roads across Myanmar. Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city with a population of over 1.7 million, suffered extensive damage.
Across the border in Thailand, rescue operations continued into Saturday night in Bangkok, where a 30-story skyscraper under construction collapsed.
(Photo: REUTERS)
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters that eight people had been confirmed dead in the collapse, while at least eight others were rescued. However, 79 individuals remained unaccounted for.
The building, located near the Chatuchak weekend market, a major tourist attraction, has now become the focal point of an extensive search-and-rescue effort.
As rescue teams race against time, the true magnitude of the disaster in Myanmar and Thailand is still unfolding, with thousands left in desperate need of aid and relief.
Source: AFP; nypost.com; npr.org