Huge Earthquake hits Myanmar

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck northwest of Sagaing in central Myanmar on Friday, inflicting massive devastation across the country. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake took place around 1:30 p.m. local time (2:30 a.m. ET) at a depth of 6 miles near Mandalay, Myanmar. 11 minutes later, a 6.7-magnitude aftershock also occurred. The earthquake reverberated across Southeast Asia, killed close to 150 people, and injured hundreds of individuals, according to Myanmar's military government.

The head of Myanmar's ruling junta expressed in a televised speech on Friday evening that more than 150 people were killed and 730 individuals wounded in the disaster. Furthermore, he appealed for international help. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said, "The death toll and injuries are expected to rise." The APF reported following the plea for aid by the Southeast Asian nation's ruling junta, President Donald Trump on Friday pledged the United States would help Myanmar after such an enormous catastrophic earthquake.

President Trump said, "It's a real bad one, and we will be helping." On Friday, the USGS warned that "high casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread." The USGS estimated, according to a predictive analysis evaluating the strength and depth of the earthquake, that more than 1,000 people may have been killed, with a death toll of more than 10,000 a strong possibility. The quake struck not only Myanmar but also the neighbouring parts of Thailand.

As of Saturday, according to Myanmar's ruling junta, the official count stands at 694 deaths, with 1,670 people injured. Myanmar is in the midst of a civil war, due to which many areas are not accessible. Myanmar's army's strict control and ongoing internal instability due to the civil war are making it extremely challenging to get precise details of the ground reality of the catastrophe.

Rescue workers are still scrambling to find the survivors. A rescue team in Mandalay reports, "We are digging out people with our bare hands." The government reported that blood was in immense demand in areas that were severely impacted by the quake. The cracked roads, damaged highways, collapsed bridges and tumbled dams raised concerns about how the rescue teams would be able to reach the areas that are already going through a widespread humanitarian crisis.

This is why what relief efforts the ruling military regime would be able to provide was not instantly explicit. However, appeals were issued from the international community for any assistance available, such as blood supplies. A doctor at the facility informed AFP, "Many injured people have been arriving. I haven't seen anything like this before. We are trying to handle the situation. I'm so exhausted." Moreover, the security officials at the hospital reported to AFP, "Hundreds of injured people are arriving.....but the emergency building here also collapsed."

Zaw Min Tun, a spokesperson for Myanmar's military government, requested for medical supplies in a late-night news bulletin on state television, appealing for blood donations. The rescue operations are also continuing at a collapsed high-rise building in Bangkok, which was undergoing construction. According to local government officials, approximately 100 construction workers are unaccounted and six are dead.