The death toll of a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Southeast Asia has climbed to over 1,000 amid fears that the casualty figures will continue to rise in the war-torn nation and in neighbouring Thailand.
Myanmar’s military-run Government said on Saturday that 1,002 people died in the earthquake that rocked the region a day earlier, while the authorities in Thailand said that at least 10 people have been found dead so far.
Rescue workers in Myanmar are continuing to search for possible survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings, and the country’s military leadership allowed hundreds of foreign rescue personnel to enter to assist in the effort.
The country’s Junta Government declared a state of emergency across six regions and its isolated leader, General Min Aung Hlaing, said earlier on state television that he had invited “any country” to provide help and donations.
Myanmar’s Military Government is locked in a fight with anti-Junta insurgents, a situation that could hamper the rescue and relief operation.
A spokesman for the Opposition National Unity Government said earlier that fighters from the anti-Junta militias known as the People’s Defence Forces would provide humanitarian help.
According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred at around 1:30 p.m. local time at a depth of 10 kilometres near Mandalay, the second-largest city in Myanmar. It was followed 11 minutes later by a 6.4-magnitude aftershock.
The tremors left buildings, bridges, and roads wrecked in the epicentre, Mandalay, an ancient city of about 1.5 million people, residents and local media said.
Thailand’s capital, Bangkok more than 600 miles from the epicentre was declared a disaster zone after the quake sent high-rise buildings swaying.
Thailand’s deputy Prime Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, said the authorities had mobilised all possible resources in the search for survivors and to retrieve the remains of the deceased.
“We always have hope,” Charnvirakul told reporters. “We’re still working around the clock.”
Thailand’s State-owned operator of the country’s airports said in a statement on March 29 that operations at six airports including in Bangkok and Phuket had returned to normal operations and safety inspections. (RFE/RL)
