MYANMAR EARTHQUAKE DEATH TOLL RISES TO 1600
A 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar on Friday with devastating effects, hitting neighbouring countries like Thailand, India, and Malaysia.
The earthquake struck just northwest of the city of Sagaing.
The BBC reports that so far, 1644 people have been killed in Myanmar, the country’s internationally-sanctioned military government said earlier on Saturday. In addition to this, 3408 people are missing.
A woman has been pulled from the rubble in the city of Mandalay after being trapped for more than 30 hours after an apartment block collapsed.
At least 90 people are still believed to be trapped under the apartment building’s rubble.
More than 1000 kilometres away from the epicentre of the earthquake, a high-rise building in Bangkok collapsed. So far, 11 people have been confirmed dead, with dozens of construction workers still missing in the rubble.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has said a severe lack of medical supplies is hampering the efforts to respond to the deadly earthquake.
“As the full scale of the disaster unfolds, urgent humanitarian assistance is needed to support those affected.”
Doctors in Bangkok were forced to deliver a baby on the street outside the Police General Hospital after the mother was in theatre when the earthquake hit. The patient was surrounded by healthcare staff and gave birth to a baby boy.
Image credit: Tovima
