Residents desperately searched through the rubble of collapsed buildings for survivors as aftershocks continued to shake the devastated city of Mandalay, two days following a catastrophic earthquake that claimed the lives of over 1,600 individuals in Myanmar and at least 17 in neighboring Thailand.
The initial quake, registering a magnitude of 7.7, struck close to the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early Friday afternoon, soon followed by a 6.7 magnitude aftershock just minutes later.
The tremors caused buildings to collapse, bridges to fall, and roads to buckle, resulting in widespread destruction in a city housing more than 1.7 million residents.
The initial 7.7 magnitude quake struck near Mandalay on Friday.
As dawn broke, tea shop owner Win Lwin carefully navigated through the remains of a collapsed restaurant along a main road in his neighborhood, clearing away bricks one by one.
“We cannot ascertain how many bodies there might be, but we are searching,” he remarked.
Approximately an hour later, another small aftershock occurred, causing guests to rush out of a hotel for safety, echoing a similar tremor felt late the previous evening.
Truckloads of firefighters were stationed at one of Mandalay’s primary fire stations, ready to be dispatched to various locations across the city.
The night before, rescuers successfully pulled a woman from the wreckage of a fallen apartment building, eliciting applause as she was carried on a stretcher to an ambulance.
Myanmar’s ruling junta reported that at least 1,644 people had died and over 3,400 were injured, with at least 139 individuals still missing.
Read more: Anti-coup fighters call partial truce after Myanmar quake
However, due to unreliable communication, the true extent of the disaster remains elusive in the isolated military-ruled nation, and the death toll is anticipated to rise significantly.
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing made an unusually rare appeal for international assistance on Friday, highlighting the severity of the disaster.
Past military governments have typically shunned outside aid, even following major natural calamities.
Myanmar has been ravaged by four years of civil unrest ignited by a military coup in 2021.
Anti-junta fighters in the country announced a two-week partial ceasefire in quake-affected areas starting today, as stated by the shadow “National Unity Government.”
Rescuers search for missing individuals at the site of a collapsed building in Bangkok.
The government in exile declared that it would “collaborate with the UN and NGOs to ensure security, transportation, and the establishment of temporary rescue and medical camps” in regions under its control, according to a statement released on social media.
Aid organizations have warned that Myanmar is ill-equipped to manage a disaster of this magnitude.
Approximately 3.5 million people had been displaced by the ongoing civil war, many facing hunger risks even before the earthquake struck.
Bangkok building collapse
Across the border in Thailand, rescuers in Bangkok were engaged in the difficult task of rescuing survivors trapped under the debris of a 30-story skyscraper that collapsed during the earthquake.
At least 17 people have been confirmed dead in the Thai capital, with dozens more believed to be trapped beneath the massive pile of rubble where the skyscraper once stood.
Bangkok authorities are expected to issue another statement at 9am (3am Irish time), with concerns regarding a potential increase in the casualty toll.
Workers at the site are using large mechanical diggers in an effort to locate victims still trapped this morning.
Sniffer dogs and thermal imaging drones have also been deployed to detect signs of life within the fallen structure, located near the Chatuchak weekend market, a popular spot for tourists.
Authorities announced plans to deploy engineers today to assess and repair 165 buildings in the city that were damaged during the earthquake.
