Myanmar Quake Claims Nearly 700 Lives; Aid Efforts Underway

• 2,376 individuals reported injured, with 30 unaccounted for.
• USGS predicts potential toll could reach the thousands.
• International relief operations underway, with a Chinese aid team now in the region.

The toll from a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar has risen to 1,002, according to the state-run MRTV, as international aid has begun to arrive for relief efforts.

Rescue teams continue to search for survivors in the Southeast Asian nation, where the death count is likely to rise. Reports indicate that 2,376 people have been injured and 30 individuals are still missing.

“Infrastructure including roads, bridges, and buildings has been severely impacted, resulting in numerous civilian casualties. Efforts to locate and rescue individuals are ongoing in the affected regions,” stated the ruling junta in a media release.

The junta leader, General Min Aung Hlaing, cautioned on Friday of an increase in deaths and injuries, extending an invitation to “any country” to assist with donations and support.

A Chinese rescue team arrived on Saturday, while both Russia and the US have offered aid following the disaster that occurred during lunchtime on Friday, inflicting damage on hundreds of buildings in neighboring Thailand.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has modeled projections suggesting the death toll could exceed 10,000 in Myanmar and that financial losses may eclipse the country’s gross domestic product. Susan Hough, a scientist with the USGS’s Earthquake Hazards Program, explained to Reuters that various factors make it difficult to predict earthquake fatalities, such as the time of day. When earthquakes strike during daylight hours, survivors are more alert and better able to react, she noted.

Searching for Construction Workers in the Tower Rubble

Much of the devastation has been concentrated in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, near the quake’s epicenter.

In Bangkok, located approximately 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the epicenter, rescue operations intensified on Saturday to locate construction workers trapped under the debris of a collapsed 33-story tower.

A 37-member Chinese team arrived in Yangon, Myanmar’s former capital, early Saturday, bringing with them medical supplies and equipment for detecting signs of life, according to a post by the Chinese embassy on Facebook.

Russia reported it would send 120 skilled rescuers along with medical personnel and search dogs, according to the state news agency TASS.

US President Donald Trump stated on Friday that he had held discussions with Myanmar officials, indicating his administration’s intention to provide some form of assistance.

Hough, who has worked on Myanmar’s local seismology network, commented that the mix of modern structures with traditional buildings would also influence the outcome. Traditional constructions “are generally less hazardous than concrete,” she added.

In Thailand, authorities confirmed that nine people have died and 101 remain missing in Bangkok, predominantly laborers trapped in the rubble of the collapsed tower.

“We will exhaust all resources and will not halt our efforts to save lives,” stated Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt at the site on Saturday, as excavators cleared debris and drones scanned for survivors.

Bangkok’s activity ground to a halt on Friday, and Chadchart noted that numerous individuals spent the night in city parks, though he indicated that conditions were improving.