On Friday, a strong earthquake in Thailand and Myanmar claimed the lives of over 20 people, destroyed bridges and buildings, and trapped more than 80 workers in a Bangkok skyscraper that was still under construction.
A 6.4-magnitude aftershock occurred minutes after the shallow 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck northwest of the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar.
Myanmar’s remote military regime, which has lost large areas of its country to armed groups, made a rare appeal for international assistance in response to the earthquake’s destruction.
The World Health Organisation characterised the earthquake as a “very, very big threat to life and health” and declared a state of emergency in the six most impacted areas.
According to a doctor who spoke to AFP under the condition of anonymity, “about 20 people” were confirmed dead at a hospital in the capital, Naypyidaw.
In Thailand, a skyscraper collapsed, leaving three confirmed dead and 81 missing, thought to be trapped in the twisted metal and debris of the still-under-construction structure.
The worst effects of the earthquake seem to be in Myanmar. When the emergency department entryway collapsed on an automobile, hundreds of casualties gathered at a hospital in Naypyidaw.
While medical personnel treated victims outside, a hospital official redirected reporters, stating, “This is a mass casualty area.”
Credit: CNA
“This is something I have never seen before. We are making an effort to manage the situation. Now I’m really tired,” a doctor told AFP.
AFP correspondents witnessed the arrival of junta leader Min Aung Hlaing at the hospital while the Myanmar military requested assistance from other sources.
“We want the international community to give humanitarian aid as soon as possible,” Zaw Min Tun, a junta spokesperson, told AFP while entering the hospital.
Given that four years of civil conflict have devastated Myanmar’s infrastructure and medical system, the junta’s unusual appeal raises the possibility of widespread harm and casualties.
Rescuers were attempting to pull a mother and son from the capital’s collapsed skyscraper as night fell, according to AFP journalists.
Rescuers were unable to reach both, despite their terrible injuries, a Red Cross volunteer told AFP.
– Skyscraper collapse –
Phumtham Wechayachai, Thailand’s deputy prime minister, informed reporters that a structure under construction collapsed close to the expansive Chatuchak market, killing at least three workers and trapping 81 more.
An AFP photographer on the scene reported that rescuers were looking for a safe way to seek survivors among the chaos of twisted metal and rubble.
The deputy police commander of Bang Sue district, Worapat Sukthai, told AFP, “I heard people calling for help, saying, ‘Help me.'”
“We estimate that hundreds of people are injured,” he said.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who visited the location, stated that “every building” in Bangkok would have to undergo a safety inspection, but it was unclear how this would be done at the moment.
Stunned locals in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, a popular tourist destination in the north, rushed outside as the electricity momentarily went out, uncertain of how to react to the strange earthquake.
When a Chiang Mai minimart began to tremble, Sai, 76, hurried out.
“This is the strongest tremor I’ve experienced in my life.”
