A large earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday, inflicting widespread destruction and over 1,600 causalities.
The Crimson Cross mentioned a number of cities in central Myanmar had been broken within the 7.7 magnitude earthquake, together with Mandalay, the place buildings have toppled, roads are fractured, and a bridge has collapsed. The rumbles had been additionally felt in Thailand’s capital metropolis, Bangkok.
Myanmar’s army council mentioned the nation’s dying toll has reached 1,644 and counted over 3,400 injured civilians, in line with BBC’s Burmese information service. An alert issued by the US Geological Survey on Friday estimated that the dying toll would surpass 10,000.
The earthquake has prompted a number of nations to supply humanitarian support, together with Russia and China. President Donald Trump mentioned the US can even help Myanmar, the outlet reported.
Satellite tv for pc photographs collected by Maxar, an American house applied sciences firm, present the Mandalay area earlier than and after the earthquake.
A neighborhood of shacks and buildings in Myanmar’s second-largest metropolis, Mandalay
Stephen Wooden/Maxar
Round 1.5 million folks reside in Mandalay, the place the United Nations mentioned the web connection is at the moment down.
A lot of Myanmar has been embroiled in a civil battle since 2021 when army authorities staged a authorities coup. Regardless of the continuing tensions, the army has requested worldwide emergency help.
The Nationwide Unity Group, which opposes Myanmar’s army authorities, introduced a short lived pause on army offenses, excluding defensive actions, to assist with rescue operations.
Neighborhoods with dozens of buildings had been fully destroyed in Mandalay after the earthquake
Stephen Wooden/Maxar
Over 2,400 buildings had been broken amid the earthquake, the United Nations mentioned.
“Round 1,690 homes, 670 monasteries, 60 faculties, and three bridges are reported to be broken, with issues for the structural integrity of large-scale dams,” the group mentioned.
The United Nations mentioned well being companions will deploy cell surgical and medical groups — along with discipline hospitals — to affected areas “to ship life and limb-saving medical interventions to earthquake victims.”
The Mahamuni Pagoda is within the metropolis of Mandalay
Stephen Wooden/Maxar
The Buddhist pagoda is present in Mandalay and is thought for housing a big, gold Buddha statue.
Rescue groups are trying to find greater than 100 lacking monks within the particles of the Mahamuni Pagoda, native stories say
Stephen Wooden/Maxar
The pagoda sustained harm from the earthquake.
Greater than 270 monks had been gathered on the Mahamuni Pagoda in Mandalay when the earthquake started, in line with Nation Thailand, an English language every day newspaper in bordering Thailand.
An athletic discipline space in Mandalay.
Stephen Wooden/Maxar
Myanmar’s shadow Nationwide Unity Authorities mentioned in a press release posted on X that “quite a few houses, buildings, pagodas, mosques, temples, faculties, and bridges collapsed,” leading to hundreds of deaths.
The collapsed pagodas and athletic discipline are actually probably getting used as potential reduction space
Stephen Wooden/Maxar
A number of nations, together with Russia and China, have despatched reduction efforts to Myanmar, The Related Press reported.
The UN Workplace for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs mentioned $5 million has been allotted for “life-saving help,” in line with the AP report.
The Ma Shi Kha Na pagoda in Sagaing, Myanmar earlier than the earthquake
Stephen Wooden/Maxar
The Buddhist pagoda is in Sagaing, a metropolis east of Mandalay.
The Ma Shi Kha Na pagoda and surrounding buildings collapsed
Stephen Wooden/Maxar
Following the earthquake, the Related Press reported that Myanmar’s army authorities performed three airstrikes within the nation. The United Nations mentioned one airstrike impacted the Sagaing area.
A bridge over the Irrawaddy River earlier than the earthquake.
Stephen Wooden/Maxar
The Irrawaddy River separates the Sagaing area and the Mandalay area in Myanmar.
The Inwa bridge collapsed after the earthquake
Stephen Wooden/Maxar
The earthquake triggered the bridge to break down into the Irrawaddy River and fracture in a number of locations.