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The 7.7 Friday magnitude earthquake, among the largest to shake the nation of Southeast Asia in the last century, crippled airports, bridges and highways amid a civil war that destroyed the economy and moved millions.
The death toll in Myanmar rose to 1644, the military government said on Saturday (local time), according to BBC Burmese news service.
In neighboring Thailand, where the earthquake shook the buildings and knocked down a skyscraper under construction in the capital Bangkok, at least nine people were killed.
The survivors in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, dug with naked hands on Friday in desperate attempts to save those still arrested, without heavy machines and absent authorities.
In Bangkok on Saturday, rescue operations remained at the 33 -story tower collapse, where 47 people were missing or trapped under the rubble – including Myanmar workers.
The predictive modeling of the US Geological Service estimated that the number of Mianmar’s dead could exceed 10,000 and the losses could exceed the country’s annual economic production.
A day after rarely called international assistance, the head of the Myanmar Board, General Min Aung Hlaing, traveled to Mandalay near the earthquake epicenter, which toppled buildings and triggered fires in some areas.
“The president of the State Administration Board instructed the authorities to streamline search and rescue efforts and meet any urgent needs,” the board said in a statement about state media, referring to Min Aung Hlaing.
Closed airports
An initial assessment of the Government of the National Opposition Unit of Mianmar said that at least 2900 buildings, 30 roads and seven bridges were damaged by the earthquake.
“Due to significant damage, international airports by Nayphitaw and Mandalay are temporarily closed,” said Nug, which includes remnants of the elected civil government fired by the military in a 2021 coup that triggered the civil war.
The Nayphitaw Airport Control Tower, the capital created by Mianmar’s purpose, collapsed, making it inoperable, said a person with knowledge of the situation at Reuters.
A MIANMAR -GOATOR JOINT DON’T ABOUT THE CALLS FOR COMMENTS.
Hospitals in the center and northwest of Myanmar were struggling to deal with the influx of injured people, the UN office said to coordinate humanitarian affairs, warning that damage to roads were making access difficult.
Seventeen shelter cargo trucks and medical supplies should arrive on Sunday to address the scarcity of medicines, including blood bags and anesthetics, the agency added.
A Chinese rescue team arrived at Mianmar’s commercial capital in Yangon, hundreds of miles from Mandalay and Nayphitaw, and will travel by bus by bus, state media said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by telephone with the chief of the board, the China embassy in Myanmar said on Saturday and said Beijing would provide $ 133.77 million in help, including tents, blankets and emergency medical kits.
The United States, who have an annoyed relationship with Mianmar’s Armed Forces and sanctioned his employees, including Min Aung Hlaing, said he would provide some assistance.
India’s rescue supplies at a military aircraft also landed in Yangon, according to Mianmar’s state media, and the Government of India said it was also dispatching ships with 40 tons of humanitarian aid.
Russia, Malaysia and Singapore were also sending supplies plans and rescue personnel.
‘Without help coming’
Residents in the hardest affected areas are desperate for help.
The earthquake, which hit lunch time on Friday, affected ample tracks of Myanmar, from the central plains around Mandalay to the east Shan hills, parts of which are not completely under the control of the board.
Mandalay rescue operations were unable to correspond to the disaster scale, a resident said by telephone, asking not to be identified because of safe concerns.
“Many people are stuck, but there is no help to come simply because there is no labor, equipment or vehicles,” he said.
In Bangkok, 1000 km from Epicenter, the authorities on Saturday advanced with their efforts to find construction workers trapped under the rubble of the collapsed tower, using excavators, drones and search and rescue dogs.
The Vice -Primeiro -Thailand Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, said all possible resources were sent to seek survivors and to highlight the bodies of the deceased.
“We always have hope,” he told reporters. “We are still working 24 hours a day.”
Chanpen Kaewnoi, 39, said she ran on Friday afternoon after seeing the news that the building building where her mother and younger sister were working had collapsed.
“I called my sister, but no matter how many times I tried to call her, there was no connection,” she said after a sleepless night.
“I want to wait for my mother and sister,” said Chanpen, a construction worker, “I want to see their face again.”
Throughout the metropolis, where these earthquakes are rare, there may be up to 5000 damaged buildings, including residential towers, said Anel Siripanichgorn, a member of the board of the board of Thailand, which is helping municipal authorities.
“We are going through hundreds of cases,” he said. “If we see cases where there is potential danger, we will immediately send engineers.”
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