Massive Earthquake in Thailand/ Myanmar
United States Geological Survey said the quake was shallow, at a depth of just 10km (six miles) with the epicentre near the central city of Mandalay
www.theguardian.com
Buildings and public infrastructure have been damaged and collapsed as a result of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake in
Myanmar, with concerns for state of large scale dams, the
Red Cross said on Friday, according to Reuters.
“Public infrastructure has been damaged including roads, bridges and public buildings. We currently have concerns for large scale dams that people are watching to see the conditions of them”, Marie Manrique, programme coordinator for the
International Federation of the Red Cross said to reporters in
Geneva, via video link from
Yangon.
“We anticipate the impact to be quite large”, she added.
...
Eight people killed after building collapse in Mandalay, eyewitness tells Guardian
Eight people have been killed and others are feared trapped after a construction building in
Pyi Gyi Tagon township of
Mandalay,
Myanmar’s second largest city, collapsed at about 1 pm, an eyewitness told the Guardian.
“The whole of Mandalay city was affected by the earthquake. The rescue teams and hospitals are now overrun. We are managing with the resources we have in the neighbourhood,” an eye witness, who asked not to be named, said.
Two people, a middle aged man and an older woman, had died in the building collapse, he added.
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Amnesty International has called for
Myanmar’s military junta to allow “unimpeded access to all humanitarian organisations”.
The military seized power in a coup in 2021, prompting widespread opposition from the public and plunging the country into conflict. It has repeatedly been accused of blocking aid to areas where its opponents are active.
Earlier today, the junta made a rare call for international help as it declared a state of emergency across six regions.
Myanmar researcher
Joe Freeman said the scale of the disaster in Myanmar may not become clear for some time, given that many media outlets are banned and internet access restricted. “That there appear to be more images and information coming out of
Thailand than the epicentre in Myanmar is a startling reminder of the military’s crushing of press freedom since the 2021 coup,” he said.
....
Thai defence minister says 90 missing and three dead at the site of collapsed high-rise
Thailand’s defence minister says 90 people are missing and three are confirmed dead at the site where a high-rise building under construction collapsed when a powerful earthquake hit the capital.
Defence minister
Phumtham Wechayachai offered no more details about the rescue efforts but first responders said that seven people had been rescued so far from outside the collapsed building, reports the Associated Press (AP).