Myanmar Earthquake: Death toll crosses 1,000; over 1,600 injured

Myanmar Earthquake: Death toll crosses 1,000; over 1,600 injured

The Myanmar government said that blood was in high demand in the areas that suffered the most destruction.

A powerful earthquake has killed at least 1,000 people and injured over 1,600 others in Myanmar on Friday, authorities said, AFP reported. It toppled buildings and wrecked infrastructure across a wide area, including a skyscraper under construction in neighbouring Thailand.

Rescuers have been working tirelessly through the rubble with their bare hands, frantically searching for survivors in Mandalay.

Much of the devastation was in Myanmar’s second-largest city, Mandalay, which lies close to the epicentre of the 7.7 magnitude quake and was followed by a powerful aftershock and several more moderate ones.

Besides claiming lives, the earthquake took down several buildings, bridges, and a monastery.

The country declared a state of emergency across the six worst-affected regions after the quake, and at one major hospital in the capital, Naypyidaw, medics were forced to treat the wounded in the open air.

The Myanmar government said that blood was in high demand in the areas that suffered the most destruction.

The junta government also sought international aid in the wake of the earthquake. The United Nations allocated USD 5 million to start relief efforts.

India has also sent approximately 15 tonnes of relief material to Myanmar on an IAF aircraft. China, Russia have dispatched rescue teams, while US President Donald Trump has also assured assistance

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