Credit: Viral Press via Reuters Connect
Thousands of people are feared dead after powerful earthquakes shook large areas of war-torn Myanmar and left a path of destruction as far afield as Bangkok.
The quakes brought down a 30-storey skyscraper in the Thai capital, killing at least eight people and trapping ninety more under the rubble.
The skyscraper was still under construction but collapsed dramatically as the quake jolted through the ground in the early afternoon in Southeast Asia on Friday.
Myanmar’s military junta confirmed that at least 144 people had died there, with the epicentre being located close to Mandalay, the reclusive country’s second largest city.
While quakes are common in Myanmar, which lies on the fault line between the Indian and Eurasian plates, this quake is being described as the most devastating since the 1950s.
Video that has emerged from Myanmar shows people screaming as the 7.7-magnitude tremor pulled down buildings and tore holes in the street.
The country’s junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing, appealed to “any country, any organisation” to help with relief and said he had opened routes for international assistance.
Footage from cities near the epicentre shows buildings keeled over or collapsed in a heap of rubble.
According to locals, the destruction is even worse in the nearby countryside. One rescue worker told the BBC that a hundred casualties had been counted in a single village.
An air traffic control tower at the country’s main international airport also collapsed, killing all staff who were on duty, Burmese media said.
The US Geological Survey issued a red alert for deaths and damage, estimating that thousands of people are likely to have been killed.
In Bangkok, as night fell in the Thai capital, rescue workers were working against the clock to save people caught under the ruins of a collapsed sky scraper.
Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said eight dead bodies have been recovered and, with between 90 and 110 people unaccounted for, the toll is expected to rise.
“We see several dead bodies under the rubble. We will take time to bring the bodies out to avoid any further collapses,” he told reporters.
“I heard people calling for help, saying ‘help me’,” Worapat Sukthai, deputy police chief of Bang Sue district, told AFP.
The WHO, which has done an assessment in recent weeks of the best ways to get supplies into Myanmar, said on Friday it was “ready to move.”
“We have to know exactly where, what and why. It’s information from the ground that’s really critical right now,” WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said.
In China, the earthquake was felt in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces and caused damage to houses and injuries in the city of Ruili on the border with Myanmar, according to local media reports.
05:14 PM GMT
This blog is now closed
Thanks for reading along.
04:33 PM GMT
WHO ‘ready to move in’ to Myanmar
By chance, the WHO had done an assessment in recent weeks of the best ways to get supplies into Myanmar, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told a media briefing.
“We are ready to move in – but now we have to know exactly where, what and why. It’s information from the ground that’s really critical right now,” she said .
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) called for rapid access to affected areas and the timely approval of supplies and personnel.
“MSF medical and humanitarian staff in Myanmar and neighbouring countries are ready to respond at scale to the urgent needs of affected communities, once authorities facilitate swift and unhindered access for teams to do assessments and provide medical care,” it said in a statement.
“The ability to deploy assessment teams – and ideally, surgical teams – is crucial in the first hours and days after an earthquake to deliver life-saving surgical care for the injured.”
04:21 PM GMT
Video shows destruction in Sagaing, Myanmar
03:33 PM GMT
‘Weeks before we understand full extent of destruction’
“The impact of the earthquake in Myanmar is likely to be severe, with possibly thousands of displaced people in need of urgent shelter, food and medical aid,” said Mohammed Riyas, regional director of the International Rescue Committee.
“We fear it may be weeks before we understand the full extent of destruction caused by this earthquake, as communication network lines are down and transport is disrupted,” he said. “The damage to infrastructure and homes, loss of life, and injuries sustained by communities affected should not be underestimated.”
Riyas said the IRC and its partners are working to understand how communities have been affected with the aim of launching an emergency response. He said in a statement that “search and rescue operations are underway.”
03:30 PM GMT
UN ‘fully mobilising’ resources
The United Nations is mobilising in Southeast Asia to help those in need, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday.
“The government of Myanmar has asked for international support and our team in Myanmar is already in contact in order to fully mobilise our resources in the region to support the people of Myanmar,” Guterres said.
“But of course there are other countries impacted. The epicentre is in Myanmar, and Myanmar is the weakest country in this present situation,” he added.
03:15 PM GMT
Bangkok death toll rises to nine
At least nine people have died in Bangkok as a result of Friday’s earthquake, an official told Reuters, with the death toll steadily rising in Thailand as well as in neighbouring Myanmar, where the quake was centred.
Of the confirmed casualties in the Thai capital, eight died when a building under construction collapsed, while the ninth person died in a different location, said Bangkok’s Deputy Governor Tavida Kamolvej.
02:59 PM GMT
Junta asks for ‘any country, any organisation’ to help with relief
At least 144 people have been killed in Myanmar by the massive earthquake, the country’s junta chief said, inviting “any country, any organisation” to help with relief.
The quake caused widespread destruction across the country and the death toll is expected to rise, ruler Min Aung Hlaing said in a speech aired on state media.
He said he had opened routes for international assistance and had accepted offers of help from India and the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN.
02:47 PM GMT
Children’s hospital badly damaged in Myanmar
In Taungoo, 15 amputee children who had been rushed out of a rehabilitation centre were still sheltering in the shade under bushes on Friday afternoon, unsure what to do next, writes The Telegraph’s Sarah Newey from Bangkok.
Doctors told The Telegraph they did not want to return into the four-story facility, which caters to children with disabilities and war injuries in the region. Completed in 2023, the building now has gaping cracks in the walls and lines growing across the ceiling.
“We asked them to wait and will check, waiting [for] some statement from experts whether it’s safe or not,” the doctor, who asked not to be named, said. “People everywhere are still so scared to enter their home.”
He added that news of fatalities is mounting across Taungoo, a town roughly 130 miles from Myanmar’s main commercial hub, Yangon.
“We heard around 15 people have already died – most were victims at the mosque, as today is Friday,” he said. “We’re waiting for the picture to get clearer.”
02:42 PM GMT
At least 144 people killed in Myanmar quake, state TV says
At least 144 people in Myanmar have been killed and 732 injured by the earthquake, state-run MRTV said on the Telegram messaging app on Friday.
02:30 PM GMT
The Telegraph’s Sarah Newey reports from Bangkok
02:02 PM GMT
Monks watch on as living quarters collapse
In Mandalay, the earthquake reportedly brought down multiple buildings, including the Ma Soe Yane monastery, one of the largest in the city, and damaged the former royal palace.
A video posted online showed robed monks in the street shooting video of the multistory monastery before it suddenly fell into the ground. It was not immediately clear whether anyone was harmed.
01:50 PM GMT
Injuries reported in China
The earthquake was felt in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in China and caused damage to houses and injuries in the city of Ruili on the border with Myanmar, according to Chinese media reports.
Videos that one outlet said it had received from a person in Ruili showed building debris littering a street and a person being wheeled in a stretcher toward an ambulance.
The shaking in Mangshi, a Chinese city about 100 kilometres (60 miles) north-east of Ruili, was so strong that people couldn’t stand, one resident told The Paper, an online media outlet.
01:48 PM GMT
Historic Mahamuni Pagoda Damaged in Myanmar Earthquake
01:34 PM GMT
Air control tower collapses at Myanmar’s main airport
An air control tower at the Naypyidaw International Airport near the capital in Myanmar has collapsed.
All five members of staff on duty in the tower reportedly died due to the collapse.
01:24 PM GMT
81 trapped inside collapsed skyscraper, say Thai authorities
The Thai defence ministry says that rescuers are searching for 81 people trapped in the rubble of a skyscraper that was under construction and collapsed into a pile of rubble.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said there had been three deaths at the building site. He warned of possible aftershocks but urged people to be calm and said the situation was largely under control.
01:16 PM GMT
Rescue workers near a collapsed building in Bangkok
Rescue personnel work near a building that collapsed. – Reuters
Rescue personnel work near a building that collapsed. – Getty Images AsiaPac
01:12 PM GMT
WHO readying medical supplies for ‘huge’ Myanmar quake
The WHO has triggered its emergency management system in response to Friday’s “huge” earthquake in Myanmar and is mobilising its logistics hub in Dubai to prepare trauma injury supplies.
The World Health Organization is coordinating its earthquake response from its Geneva headquarters “because we see this as a huge event” with “clearly a very, very big threat to life and health”, spokeswoman Margaret Harris told a media briefing.
“We’ve activated our logistics hub to look particularly for trauma supplies and things like external fixators because we expect that there will be many, many injuries that need to be dealt with,” Harris said.
12:58 PM GMT
Thailand’s PM arrives at site of building collapse
Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra arrives at a construction site where a building collapsed in Bangkok. – LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP
12:24 PM GMT
Pictured: Chaos in eastern Myanmar
The Inle Lake in eastern Myanmar suffered damage
12:11 PM GMT
Earthquake ‘could not have come at a worse time’
The earthquake “could not have come at a worse time” for Myanmar, Amnesty International has warned, with a third of the country’s population already in need of humanitarian assistance after four brutal years of civil war.
“At the same time, the impacts of US aid cuts on humanitarian services in the country are just starting to bite,” said Joe Freeman, Amnesty’s Myanmar researcher.
The US is one of the largest donors to Myanmar, spending roughly $200 million a year. A significant chunk of that looks set to be cut by the Trump administration.
Mr Freeman added that all parties involved in the conflict “should be prioritising the needs of civilians … and ensuring that they have unfettered access to aid”.
He said: “Central Myanmar, which is believed to be the epicentre of the earthquake, has been ravaged by military air strikes and clashes between resistance groups and the military.
“Myanmar’s military has a longstanding practice of denying aid to areas where groups who resist it are active. It must immediately allow unimpeded access to all humanitarian organisations and remove administrative barriers delaying needs assessments.”
12:01 PM GMT
At least 20 dead in Myanmar’s capital
At least 20 people have died at a major hospital in Myanmar’s capital, according to AFP.
“About 20 people died after they arrived at our hospital so far. Many people were injured,” said the doctor at the 1,000-bed general hospital in Naypyidaw, who requested anonymity.
11:47 AM GMT
Human Rights Watch urges junta to allow access
Human Rights Watch has urged Myanmar’s military junta to grant humanitarian access.
“The Myanmar junta should immediately facilitate humanitarian access to areas affected by the earthquake,” said Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“The military has an appalling history of blocking aid following natural disasters, depriving people of assistance and increasing the suffering of communities affected.”
11:41 AM GMT
Pictured: Water falls from high-rise pool
A hotel infinity pool during the earthquake
11:39 AM GMT
Mandalay locals ‘die from doctor shortages’
A woman was killed in Mandalay because there were not enough doctors to treat her injuries, her daughter told The Telegraph.
Thiri San rushed her mother to Mandalay’s main hospital after bricks fell onto her head.
“When my mother arrived at the Mandalay General hospital, she was still alive,” she said.
“But there weren’t enough doctors to treat her, and she lost too much blood from her head injury and passed away.”
The 39-year-old said she was still waiting to receive treatment for her own injuries and that she was “in pain inside out”.
Her 89-year-old father said that this is the “worst” earthquake he had “ever seen”.
11:22 AM GMT
Where the earthquake was felt
This map shows how far the intensity of the quake could be felt.
11:17 AM GMT
Pictured: Earthquake survivor
Blood is seen on the face of an earthquake survivor as she rests in a hospital in Naypyidaw, Myanmar.
Blood is seen on the face of an earthquake survivor – Sai Aung MAIN / AFP
11:13 AM GMT
France ‘ready’ to provide support
France said on Friday it stood ready to provide support, adding that its diplomatic premises in the Thai capital had been evacuated.
“We are ready to provide support as soon as the need has been expressed and we have evacuated our premises in Bangkok to guard against any form of risk,” said Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who was in Shanghai on Friday, referring to the French embassy, schools, and other buildings.
11:07 AM GMT
At least 200 patients at Mandalay Hospital
At least 200 people have already arrived at the main hospital Mandalay, The Telegraph’s Nandi Theint reports from the site.
Dr Yan Naing told The Telegraph that 19 people have died so far due to the earthquake.
“There aren’t enough doctors and space,” he said.
“Patients are scattered inside the hospital. So far, 19 people have died here due to the earthquake. Across Myanmar, I believe the death toll will be in the hundreds.”
10:53 AM GMT
Pictured: Patients evacuated from Rajavithi Hospital
Patients are being evacuated from Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok.
Pictures show chaos at the hospital, with patients overflowing from the wards to outside.
Patients are evacuated from Rajavithi Hospital after a strong earthquake struck central Myanmar – REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa
10:41 AM GMT
At least 90 missing in Bangkok
At least 90 people are missing at the site of a collapsed building in Bangkok, according to Thailand’s defence minister.
Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai provided no additional details on the rescue efforts, though first responders earlier reported rescuing seven people from the area outside the collapsed building.
10:39 AM GMT
Our correspondent live from Bangkok reports of shocked locals
Workers caked in a thick white dust are outside the collapsed building in Bangkok, shocked at the scale of destruction and their close escape.
Sompon, who has worked in construction for 16 years, works for one of the construction companies here, and had been on site for a month.
When he first felt the tremors, he shouted to those around him to get out immediately. He struggled to describe how he’s feeling now.
“It’s indescribable. I’m speechless,” he told the Telegraph. “Because all the dust is coming everywhere, we could see only dust. I run out as fast as I could, to be safe.”
He added: “This is the scariest experience I’ve ever had.”
10:34 AM GMT
What we know so far
We’ve been providing live coverage of the earthquake in Myanmar and its aftermath in Thailand.
A 7.7 magnitude tremor struck north-east of Mandalay at a depth of 10km just before 6.30am UK time.
If you’re just joining us, here is what we know so far:
-
The US Geological Survey has estimated that thousands of deaths are likely.
-
At least 10 worshippers are reported to have been killed in a mosque in Mandalay.
-
More than 20 children are feared to be trapped in a destroyed school in the city of Taungoo.
-
Three people have died in Bangkok, while around 90 are missing.
10:21 AM GMT
Earthquake’s impact ‘could be disastrous’
Initial reports from Myanmar suggest the earthquake’s impact could be disastrous, experts told The Telegraph.
Dr Brian Baptie, a seismologist at the British Geological Survey, noted that the population live in buildings vulnerable to natural disasters, worsening the situation.
“When a large earthquake strikes an area with over a million people, many of whom live in vulnerable buildings, the consequences are often disastrous,” he said. “From initial reports, that seems likely to be the case here.”
Dr Baptie added that Myanmar is “often exposed” to large earthquakes, having experienced 14 with a magnitude of six or higher in the past 100 years.
This toll includes a magnitude 6.8 quake near Mandalay in 1956 and a 7.6 quake further north in 1946.
10:14 AM GMT
Downed power lines hinder rescue efforts
Downed power lines are complicating rescue efforts in Myanmar.
The Red Cross said that is it adding to challenges for their teams trying to reach Mandalay and Sagaing regions and southern Shan state.
“Initial reports from the ground suggest the earthquake has caused significant damage,” the Red Cross said. “Information on humanitarian needs is still being gathered.”
10:08 AM GMT
Thailand’s death toll rises to three
The death toll in Thailand has risen to three after a building collapsed in Bangkok.
Chadchart Sittipunt, the city’s governor, warned of possible aftershocks but urged people to be calm and said the situation was largely under control.
Authorities had received 169 calls about damage to buildings in Bangkok, he said.
Urban rail systems in Bangkok were temporarily closed but expected to resume services on Saturday.
10:01 AM GMT
Naypyidaw hospital treating ‘hundreds of patients’
A large hospital in Myanmar’s capital is treating hundreds of patients, according to officials on site.
“Hundreds of injured people are arriving… but the emergency building here also collapsed,” security officials at the hospital in Naypyidaw told AFP.
Some have arrived in cars, others in pickups, and others carried on stretchers, their bodies bloody and covered in dust.
An earthquake survivor lies on a bed in the compound of a hospital in Naypyidaw – Sai Aung MAIN / AFP
An earthquake survivor is carried as she waits to receive medical attention at a hospital in Naypyidaw – Sai Aung MAIN / AFP
09:56 AM GMT
Trapped people heard screaming in Bangkok
People could be heard screaming while trapped in the debris of a 30 storey building block collapsed in Bangkok.
Worapat Sukthai, deputy police chief of Bangkok’s Bang Sue district, said the capital had “never experienced” an earthquake like it before.
“I heard people calling for help, saying help me,” he told AFP. “We estimate that hundreds of people are injured but we are still determining the number of casualties.”
“I fear many lives have been lost. We have never experienced an earthquake with such a devastating impact before.”
09:49 AM GMT
Myanmar hospital declares ‘mass casualty area’
A hospital in Myanmar has been described as a “mass casualty area” by officials.
Rows of injured people are being treated outside of the hospital in Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar.
The hospital has 1,000 beds, the official added, describing people writhing in pain as relatives sought to comfort them.
The emergency department was also severely damaged, with a car crushed beneath the heavy concrete of its collapsed entrance.
“Many injured people have been arriving, I haven’t seen anything like this before,” a doctor at the hospital told AFP.
“We are trying to handle the situation. I’m so exhausted.”
09:47 AM GMT
Pictured: Chaos hits Bangkok
Women react in Bangkok – LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP via Getty Images
Injured people receive medical attention near the site of a collapsed building – REUTERS/Ann Wang
A worker reacts near a site of a collapsed building – REUTERS/Ann Wang
09:39 AM GMT
Myanmar issues plea for international humanitarian aid
Myanmar’s ruling junta has issued a rare request for international humanitarian aid.
Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing visiting a hospital in Naypyidaw, where victims of the 7.7-magnitude quake were being treated, according to AFP.
“We want the international community to give humanitarian aid as soon as possible,” junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told AFP at the hospital.
09:36 AM GMT
Watch: Chaos filmed from rooftop pool
Credit: X/@msuhcoff
09:33 AM GMT
Myanmar hit by two earthquakes, according to reports
It is now being reported that a second earthquake hit Myanmar just minutes after the first.
The agency said that 12 minutes after the 7.7 magnitude earthquake, another 6.4 magnitude one hit.
The epicentre was 18km (11.1 miles) south of Sagaing.
09:24 AM GMT
US Geological Survey estimates ‘thousands’ of deaths likely
The US Geological Survey has issued a red alert for deaths and damage, estimating that thousands of deaths are likely.
The agency warned that “high casualties and extensive damage are probable, with the disaster likely widespread”.
09:23 AM GMT
Pictured: Bangkok building collapses
Rescue teams are seen at a construction site where a building collapsed in Bangkok – Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP
09:18 AM GMT
Myanmar declares state of emergency
A state of emergency has been declared in Myanmar after the 7.7 magnitude earthquake.
The country’s national disaster management committee added that it had declared a state of emergency in the Sagaing region, Mandalay region, Magway region, northeastern Shan State, Naypyitaw Council Area, and Bago region.
09:11 AM GMT
Two confirmed dead from Bangkok building collapse
Bangkok emergency responders have reported two deaths inside a high-rise building that collapsed during the earthquake.
They added that seven people had been rescued from the rubble.
09:10 AM GMT
Bangkok building collapse ‘sounded like jet plane’
Iana, 40, a piano teacher from Russia in Bangkok on holiday, was in a nearby shopping centre when she heard the building collapse.
“It was in the Chatuchak area, I hear the sound – it’s like a jet.
“The building was shaking, shaking, shaking. We went down to the first floor and then we saw all the smoke (from the collapsed building).
She added: “People were afraid. 50 people maybe, 60 people there. We go down on the first floor and we see smoke. We don’t know what is it.”
Iana, who goes home tomorrow, thought there might be aftershocks and wasn’t sure where to go next.
09:05 AM GMT
At least 20 children trapped in Myanmar
More than 20 children are reported trapped in a school in Myanmar after the building collapsed, according to reports.
Charitable organisations are working to rescue them from the school in Taungoo, central Myanmar, the Yangon Times reported.
09:01 AM GMT
Thai locals share shock and fear
People are sitting on the side of the streets with their pet cats and dogs – they’re not sure if the high rise buildings they live inside are safe to go into.
Boom, 23, a student who was working from home today, told The Telegraph she’s still freaked out after the earthquake – mainly because she’s concerned about aftershocks. She’s sitting in the 37 degree heat on the side of a busy main road with her two cats in a cat bag – Fuku, a ginger and a white two month old kitten.
“It was scary….. It’s my first time (in an earthquake) , I was really nervous and I wasn’t sure what to do,” she said. She was on the 10th floor of a 23 floor apartment block.
“Then it started shaking more, there was a crack in the wall, so I grabbed my cat and sat under the table. “Afterwards, I just went down the emergency ladder.”
She added: “No I don’t feel safe. I think I will wait outside in case there’s an aftershock. I’m waiting until someone like the government tells me it’s safe.”
09:00 AM GMT
Mandalay airport ‘suspends flights’
It is thought that Mandalay airport has suspended flights after suffering significant damage.
Videos shared online show dozens of panicked passengers fleeing the airport as alarm bells ring loudly.
Inside Mandalay International Airport – @heungburma on X
08:55 AM GMT
Thai PM interrupts official visit
Thai prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, has interrupted an official visit to Phuket, an island to the country’s south, to hold an “urgent meeting”.
Ms Paetongtarn was in Phuket for a meeting when the earthquake occurred.
08:47 AM GMT
At least ten killed in Myanmar mosque
Local media reports say at least 10 people have been killed in Myanmar after an earthquake struck the Shwe Phone Shein Mosque in Mandalay.
“It collapsed while we were worshipping. About three mosques collapsed. There were people trapped, so at least 10 people have died now. The death toll could be higher,” a rescue worker told the Yangon Times.
08:40 AM GMT
Myanmar reports widespread damage
Myanmar was at the epicentre of the earthquake, which the US Geological Survey said was a shallow 10 kilometres (6.2 miles).
In Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city and close to the epicentre, the earthquake damaged part of the former royal palace and buildings, according to videos and photos released on social media.
A 90-year-old bridge in the Sagaing region, south-west of Mandalay, collapsed, and several sections of the highway connecting Mandalay to Yangon were damaged.
In Yangon, residents rushed out of their homes as the quake hit, though no injuries or fatalities were immediately reported.
In the capital, Naypyitaw, the quake caused damage to religious shrines and some homes, with parts of the structures falling to the ground.
08:32 AM GMT
Quake shakes water free from rooftop pool in Thailand
Credit: Viral Press via Reuters Connect
08:28 AM GMT
Pictured: Devastation after 7.7 earthquake
Rescuers assemble at the site of a collapsed building – Ann Wang
A motorcyclist drives around a rupture in the road in Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar – Sai Aung Main/AFP
08:23 AM GMT
43 people trapped in collapsed skyscraper, authorities say
A 30-storey building under construction in Bangkok has collapsed, trapping 43 workers, according to local police and medics.
The building was reduced to rubble and twisted metal in a matter of seconds, footage shared on social media shows.
Worapat Sukthai, the deputy police chief of Bang Sue district, told local media: “When I arrived to inspect the site, I heard people calling for help, saying ‘help me.’”
“We estimate that hundreds of people are injured but we are still determining the number of casualties,” he added.
08:16 AM GMT
Thailand declares state of emergency
A state of emergency has been declared in Bangkok after the earthquake, Thailand’s prime minister said.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s stock exchange has suspended all trading activities after a powerful earthquake triggered evacuations in Bangkok.
Footage posted on social media showed building collapses and water cascading out of rooftop pools in the Thai capital.
The earthquake registered 7.7 on the Richter scale, with the epicentre in the city of Mandalay in neighbouring Myanmar.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
