By Eric Vandenbroeck and co-workers

Bangkok ground to a halt on March 28 after a strong earthquake shook the clogged Thai capital, causing chaos and triggering city-wide evacuations that left many thousands of people stranded for much of the day.

Foreign rescue teams began flying into Myanmar on March 29 to aid the search for survivors of an earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people in the impoverished South-east Asian nation, crippling critical infrastructure amid a grinding civil war.

The death toll in Myanmar was 1,002, the military government said on March 29, up sharply from initial state media reports of 144 dead on March 28.

At least nine people were killed in neighbouring Thailand, where the 7.7 magnitude quake rattled buildings and brought down a skyscraper under construction in the capital, Bangkok, trapping 30 people under the debris and leaving 49 missing.

The US Geological Service’s (USGS) predictive modelling estimated the death toll could exceed 10,000 in Myanmar and that losses could exceed the country’s annual economic output.

The quake damaged roads, bridges and buildings in Myanmar, according to the junta, whose top general made a rare call for international assistance on March 28.

“Search and rescue operations are currently being carried out in the affected areas,” the junta said in a statement on state media on March 29.

A Chinese rescue team arrived in Myanmar’s commercial capital of Yangon, hundreds of kilometers from the hard-hit cities of Mandalay and Naypyitaw, the country’s purpose-built capital, where parts of a 1,000-bed hospital were damaged.

A Chinese rescue team arrived in Myanmar’s commercial capital of Yangon, hundreds of kilometres from the hard-hit cities of Mandalay and Naypyitaw, the country’s purpose-built capital, where parts of a 1,000-bed hospital were damaged.

Russia, India, Malaysia and Singapore were sending planeloads of relief supplies and personnel to Myanmar, which has been ravaged by a civil war after a 2021 military coup ousted an elected civilian government.

“We will continue to monitor the developments, and more aid will follow,” said Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Asean recognises the urgent need for humanitarian assistance for Myanmar and is ready to support recovery efforts, according to its foreign ministers.

South Korea said it would provide an initial US$2 million (S$2.68 million) in humanitarian aid to Myanmar through international organisations.

The United States, which has a testy relationship with the Myanmar military and has sanctioned its officials, including junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, has said it would provide some assistance.

The quake, which hit around lunchtime on March 28, impacted wide swathes of the country, from the central plains around Mandalay to the hills of Shan, parts of which are not completely under the junta’s control.

In Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-biggest city, residents and rescue workers scrambled to pull people out from under collapsed buildings, struggling with limited heavy machinery available to remove debris.

After he was dragged out from under a wall by other residents, Htet Min Oo, 25, said he tried to clear the rubble of a crumpled building himself to rescue his grandmother and two uncles – but eventually gave up.

“I don’t know if they are still alive under the debris,” he told Reuters, breaking into tears. “After so long, I don’t think there’s any hope.”

 

 

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