A huge 7.7 magnitude earthquake has hit central Myanmar, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
At least 144 people have died and 732 have been
injured so far in the country, Myanmar military leader Min Aung Hlaing said.
The epicenter was 16 km (10 miles) northwest of
the city of Sagaing, at a depth of 10 km, sending strong tremors that were felt
as far as southwest China and Thailand.
Meanwhile, 81 construction workers are missing
after an unfinished high-rise building collapsed hundreds of miles away in
Bangkok, according to Thailand's deputy prime minister.
At least seven people have died at the site in
Thailand, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
A rescuer in Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest
city, told the BBC the damage is "enormous."
The total number of people killed and injured by
the earthquake is expected to rise in the coming days.
In the capital of Nay Pyi Taw, there have been
reports of roads buckling, and the military government of the country has
declared a state of emergency in six areas. The earthquake struck near
Mandalay, which has a population of about 1.5 million people.
A second quake struck 12 minutes after the first,
according to the USGS, with a magnitude of 6.4, and its epicenter was 18km
(11.1 miles) south of Sagaing.
Soe Lwin, in Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, said
he felt the first earthquake for a "long time" and added that
residents are worried about the potential for more aftershocks.
Bui Thu, a BBC journalist who lives in Bangkok,
told the BBC World Service's Newsday program that she was at home cooking when
the initial quake happened.
"I was very nervous; I was very
panicked," she said.
"Buildings in Bangkok are not engineered for
earthquakes, so I think that's why I think there's going to be big
damage."
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra
visited the site of the collapsed building on Friday afternoon. Search and
rescue teams have been mobilized and disaster centers set up to help with the
rescue operation.
Similar rescue efforts have been hampered by the
political turmoil in Myanmar, which has faced a brutal civil war since a
military junta seized power in a 2021 coup.
Following the quake, the junta made a rare appeal
for international assistance, declaring a state of emergency across six
regions.
The earthquake has added pressure to the
humanitarian situation in the country, where 3.5 million people are estimated
to have been displaced by fighting.
The Sagaing region, near the epicenter of the
quake, is a volatile key battleground in the civil war.
According to a recent BBC data project, the
country is now controlled by a patchwork of groups, making relief and recovery
efforts more challenging.
The state controls almost all local radio,
television, print, and online media, and Internet use is restricted in the
country, which often makes access to information difficult.
