At least 144 people have been killed, and more than 730 were injured in the powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on Friday, according to the head of the country’s military government.
A strong aftershock of 6.4 magnitude also hit Myanmar, with tremors felt across Thailand and in China.
According to military government officials, the quake triggered the collapse of buildings hundreds of miles away in Thailand.
At least three people have died in the nation’s capital, and authorities are racing to free 81 people believed to be trapped under the rubble of an under-construction high-rise in the city, officials said.
Myanmar, one of Asia’s poorest nations, is reeling from a civil war sparked by a 2021 military coup. Weak infrastructure makes it ill-equipped to deal with major natural disasters.
Swathes of the country are run by a patchwork of militias, making it extremely difficult to gather reliable information. The military also regularly cuts communications in conflict zones.
