The death toll in Myanmar passed 1,000 on Saturday as the military government declared a state of emergency and appealed for blood donations
The junta said 1,002 people were killed and 2,376 injured by 30 more declared Myanmar State media, although those numbers are expected to grow. The earthquake also caused at least six deaths in Thailand, where more than 100 were missing after a building collapsed in Bangkok, the capital.
The epicenter of Earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 It was about 20 kilometers out of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second -largest city with a population of 1.5 million and a depth of 10 km. After that it was followed by about twenty ships, including a close 6.4 degrees 12 minutes after the first.
“The death toll is expected to rise further,” said Junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing late on Friday. “In some areas, buildings have fallen apart and we are still conducting rescue operations.”
He pleaded for “as much support as possible for the ongoing rescue efforts”.
At a press briefing on Friday night, President Donald Trump described the earthquake as “terrible” and said the United States would help Myanmar after the consequences, without giving details.
His comments appeared on the same day that the State Department officially informed Congress that it would close the US Agency for International Development, which usually plays a key role in facilitating disasters.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offered support, while the UN set aside $ 5m and the EU 2.5m euros for urgent efforts to help. South Korea has also pledged $ 2 million to help international aid groups.
The earthquake, which was the most powerful of 2023 Earthquake in Turkey and SyriaHe felt all over the region, including in Chinese provinces of Yunan and Sichuan, Vietnam and Bangladesh.
The US geological study predicted that the death toll in Myanmar could exceed 10,000 based on its modeling, as “high victims and widespread damage are probably and the disaster is probably widespread.”
He added that economic losses could exceed the country’s GDP, which amounted to $ 66.76 billion in 2023, according to the World Bank.
UN Secretary -General Antonio Guterres said the UN “is mobilizing to help those in need” in the region, especially in Myanmar, which he said is “the weakest country in this current situation”.
Social media videos and pictures showed widespread destruction in Mandalay, the historic capital of Myanmar, where the temples were destroyed, the royal palace was damaged and the 90-year-old bridge collapsed. The cracks broke out on the highway to Hangon, the most populous city.
China has sent RMB100MN ($ 14 million) emergency aid and sent rescue teams from Beijing and south-western province of Yunan to Myanmar, according to Chinese state media. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a previous statement that it had not received reports of the deaths of Chinese citizens.
Russia also sent two rescue aircraft and medical staff, including K-9 teams to Myanmar, according to state-run TASS news agency.
Disaster referred as was Myanmar Rounded by a civil war From the 2021 coup that broke the elected government of the Nobel Peace Prize at the Aung San Su Kii Prize.
The northern part of the country near the epicenter of the earthquake is particularly difficult with the fight between military and armed pro-democracy and ethnic minorities. About 3.5 million people are displaced internally, according to the UN.
The military firmly controlled access to information, introducing internet controls and suppressing local media, while Western sanctions have been isolating the country and thrown their economy.
Starklink, Elon Musk’s satellite web network, said he was preparing to offer equipment to support “communication and assistance efforts”, in anticipation of government approval. The system is not licensed in Myanmar, but the armed group groups used it to avoid government controls on the Internet, according to local media reports.
There is also concern about the approach to humanitarian aid within Myanmar, where military governments have restricted the international aid to disaster victims, according to rights groups, including in the run -up to the 2023 cyclone, and Cyclone in 2008.
In a statement, Medecins chief Sans Frontes in Myanmar Federica Franco said the situation was “incredibly challenging, not only to obtain information, but also to achieve physically those people who need urgent help”.
She added that there are “significant communication eclipse eclipse in some of the most severely affected areas … because of the current conflict”.
Bangkok, the Thai capital of 17 million, was returning to normal on Saturday morning, with the reopening of business activities and the monks made rounds of morning mercy.
Metro and light rail services mainly continued, as well as flights from the city’s airports, albeit with some disruption.
The worst damage to the city, 600 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake, came after a 33-storey building collapsed, putting in dozens of workers.
Nathanan, 27, was in place of collapse on Friday night seeking news for his father, who works as a supervisor. “I’m still waiting for hope,” he told the Financial Times.
Additional notice from William Langley in Guangzhou
Source link
