Over 150 dead as strong 7.7 quake hits Myanmar, Thailand, shakes India too

A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand on Friday, destroying buildings, a bridge and a dam. At least 144 persons were killed in Myanmar, where photos and video from two hard-hit cities showed extensive damage. At least eight persons died in the Thai capital where a under-construction high-rise collapsed.

The 7.7-magnitude quake, with its epicentre near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, struck at midday and was followed by a strong 6.4-magnitude aftershock. Mild tremors were felt in Kolkata, Imphal and Meghalaya’s East Garo Hills district as well.

The full extent of death, injury and destruction was not immediately clear, particularly in Myanmar, one of the world’s poorest countries. It is embroiled in a civil war and information is tightly controlled. The head of Myanmar’s military government said in a televised speech on Friday evening that at least 144 persons were killed and 730 others were injured. “The death toll and injuries are expected to rise,” Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing said.

India ready to offer all possible assistance: PM

"Concerned by the situation in Myanmar and Thailand. India stands ready to offer all possible assistance… asked our authorities to be on standby. Also asked the MEA to remain in touch with the govts of Myanmar and Thailand." Narendra Modi, PM

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Photos from the capital of Naypyidaw showed multiple buildings used to house civil servants destroyed by the quake and rescue crews pulling victims from the rubble. Myanmar’s government said blood was in high demand in the hardest-hit areas. Images of buckled and cracked roads in Mandalay and damaged highways as well as the collapse of a bridge and dam raised further concerns about how rescuers would even reach some areas in a country already enduring a widespread humanitarian crisis.

In Bangkok’s popular Chatuchak market, a 33-storey building under construction, with a crane on top, crumpled into a cloud of dust and onlookers could be seen screaming and running in a video posted on social media.

The sound of sirens echoed throughout central Bangkok and vehicles filled the streets, leaving some of the city’s already congested streets grid-locked. The elevated rapid transit system and subway shut down.

While the area where the quake struck is prone to earthquakes, they are usually not so big and it is rare for them to be felt in the Thai capital, which sits on a river delta and is at moderate risk for quakes.

The US Geological Survey and Germany’s GFZ centre for geosciences said the earthquake was a shallow 10 km, according to preliminary reports. Shallower earthquakes tend to cause more damage.

The earthquake was felt in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in China and caused damage to houses and injuries in the city of Ruili on the border with Myanmar, according to Chinese media reports.

Videos that one outlet said it had received from a person in Ruili showed building debris littering a street and a person being wheeled in a stretcher toward an ambulance.