At least 144 people have been killed and over 700 injured as a powerful earthquake of 7.7 magnitude struck Myanmar and Thailand on Friday. The earthquake brought down several high-rise buildings leaving many trapped underneath.
The death toll is expected to rise as the rescue operations continue in the quake-hit areas. The US government's predictive analysis estimated there could be thousands of deaths.
Also read | Scores trapped under buildings as 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocks Thailand, Myanmar
Myanmar’s ruling military general Min Aung Hlaing has invited "any country" to provide help and donations.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake had a depth of 10 km, with its epicentre located about 17.2 km from Myanmar’s second-largest city, Mandalay.
In Thailand, three people were killed when a high-rise building under construction in Bangkok collapsed. Search operations are underway to find another 81 trapped under the rubble.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra declared a state of emergency in Bangkok.
However, the full extent of the destruction remains unclear.
Bangkok’s governor Chadchart Sittipunt ordered the immediate establishment of an earthquake response command centre and instructed all districts and hospitals to assess damages.
Police officers were deployed to evacuate people from unsafe buildings and manage traffic.
“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.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is readying medical supplies and said it had triggered its emergency management system in response to the earthquake.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday the 27-country bloc stood ready to help. France also echoed the offer of support.