Myanmar earthquake death toll rises to 1,644 amid race to find survivors – live

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Summary

Here’s a wrap-up of the day’s key events:

Damaged infrastructure in Myanmar is hindering humanitarian rescue operations, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. “Damage to the Yangon/Naypyidaw/Mandalay expressway led to service disruptions, with cracks and surface distortions forcing highway buses to halt operations,” the UN agency said.

Initial field reports indicate that upwards of 1,600 people have died, more than 2,200 people have been injured and more than 200 people remain missing as search-and-rescue operations continue. Most of the deaths were reported in the Mandalay area.

A state of emergency has been declared in six areas of Myanmar: the Bago region, the Mandalay region, the Naypyidaw territory, the Sagaing region and parts of Shan state. The military junta currently governing Myanmar has called for international assistance.

Initial reports indicate that Mandalay international airport (with commercial flights cancelled until further notice), major bridges, roads, universities, hotels, historical and religious sites, and public service buildings in urban and rural areas have been heavily damaged or destroyed. Thousands of people are spending the nights on the streets or in open spaces due to the damage and destruction to their homes or fearing further quakes.

Supply infrastructure and communication towers have been severely affected and electricity and water services were disrupted, including in the Yangon region. Landline, mobile and internet networks remain unstable.

Damage to the the Yangon-Naypyidaw-Mandalay expressway has led to service disruptions, with cracks and surface distortions, forcing buses to halt operations. As the full scale of the disaster unfolds, urgent humanitarian assistance is needed to support those affected, Ocha stressed.

The emergency relief coordinator has allocated $5m from the Central Emergency Response Fund (Cerf) to support urgent response efforts.

Hospitals and health facilities have sustained extensive damage or destruction.

A severe shortage of medical supplies is hampering response efforts, including trauma kits, blood bags, anaesthetics, assistive devices, essential medicines and tents for health workers.

The European Union (EU) said it was providing €2.5m ($2.7m) in initial emergency aid and assessing the needs on the ground in order to mobilise further assistance from the bloc. “The EU stands in solidarity with people in Myanmar and the broader region enduring the aftermath of this powerful earthquake. As in previous disasters, the EU stands ready to help those most in need,” said the EU crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib.

Here are some images coming through the newswires of rescue operations under way in Myanmar:

As darkness fell in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, many residents set up small tents and prepared to sleep on the streets rather than risk going back to their homes.

“We are afraid that some weak buildings might collapse,” said Ko Ko, who asked not to give his full name.

Mandalay was one of the areas worst affected by Friday’s earthquake, a shallow 7.7-magnitude tremor that was followed minutes later by a 6.4-magnitude aftershock.

Ko Ko had been driving in his car when the ground shook for the second time. “We stopped at the corner of the road because of the shaking. At that moment, a hospital collapsed right in front of me, like waffle sheets crumbling, and a large cloud of dust emerged like in the movie scene,” he said.

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Damaged infrastructure in Myanmar is hindering humanitarian rescue operations, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

“Damage to the Yangon/Naypyidaw/Mandalay expressway led to service disruptions, with cracks and surface distortions forcing highway buses to halt operations,” the UN agency said, Reuters reports, adding that hospitals in central and north-western Myanmmar are struggling to handle the influx of injured victims from the earthquake.

Rescue operations are under way in Thailand and Myanmar after a deadly earthquake that has killed nearly 1,700 people:

In the latest flash update on the Myanmar earthquake, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) has highlighted the following:

Initial field reports indicate that upwards of 1,000 people have died, more than 2,200 people have been injured and more than 200 people remain missing as search-and-rescue operations continue. Most of the deaths were reported in the Mandalay area.

A state of emergency has been declared in six areas of Myanmar: the Bago region, the Mandalay region, the Naypyidaw territory, the Sagaing region and parts of Shan state. The military junta currently governing Myanmar has called for international assistance.

Initial reports indicate that Mandalay international airport (with commercial flights cancelled until further notice), major bridges, roads, universities, hotels, historical and religious sites, and public service buildings in urban and rural areas have been heavily damaged or destroyed. Thousands of people are spending the nights on the streets or in open spaces due to the damage and destruction to their homes or fearing further quakes.

Supply infrastructure and communication towers have been severely affected and electricity and water services were disrupted, including in the Yangon region. Landline, mobile and internet networks remain unstable.

Damage to the the Yangon-Naypyidaw-Mandalay expressway has led to service disruptions, with cracks and surface distortions, forcing buses to halt operations. As the full scale of the disaster unfolds, urgent humanitarian assistance is needed to support those affected, Ocha stressed.

The emergency relief coordinator has allocated $5m from the Central Emergency Response Fund (Cerf) to support urgent response efforts.

Hospitals and health facilities have sustained extensive damage or destruction.

A severe shortage of medical supplies is hampering response efforts, including trauma kits, blood bags, anaesthetics, assistive devices, essential medicines and tents for health workers.

Exhausted and overwhelmed rescuers in Myanmar’s second-biggest city pleaded for help on Saturday as they struggled to free hundreds of people trapped in buildings destroyed by a devastating earthquake, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Rescuers in flip-flops and minimal protective equipment picked by hand over the remains of buildings, shouting into the rubble in the hope of hearing the answering cries of survivors, reports AFP.

“There are many victims in condo apartments. More than 100 were pulled out last night,” one rescue worker who requested anonymity told AFP.

As darkness fell on Saturday, AFP journalists saw dozens of people preparing to bed down in the streets for a second night.

The European Union (EU) said it was providing €2.5m ($2.7m) in initial emergency aid and assessing the needs on the ground in order to mobilise further assistance from the bloc.

“The EU stands in solidarity with people in Myanmar and the broader region enduring the aftermath of this powerful earthquake. As in previous disasters, the EU stands ready to help those most in need,” said EU crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib.

Here are some more images coming in via the newswires:

In Mandalay, Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists reported seeing dozens of people preparing to bed down for the night in the streets, preferring to sleep in the open rather than take the risk in quake-damaged buildings.

A 39-year-old resident of the Mandalay region described harrowing scenes as he tried to save a man trapped under the debris of a collapsed mosque in Sule Kone village, but had to flee because of strong aftershocks, reports Reuters.

“I had to leave him behind … I went in a second time to try to save him,” he said, declining to be identified. “I retrieved four people with my own hands. But unfortunately, three were already dead and one died in my arms.”

He told Reuters that 10 people had been killed there, and that they were among 23 who died at three mosques that were destroyed in the village. Government restrictions had prevented them being upgraded, he said.

Muslims are a minority in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar and have been marginalised by successive governments, while ultranationalist groups and extremist monks have in recent years incited violence, reports Reuters.

Myanmar authorities have for decades made it difficult for Muslims to obtain permission to repair or build new mosques, according to 2017 report by the US state department, which said historic mosques have deteriorated because routine maintenance was denied.

Buddhist buildings were also badly hit by the quake, with 670 monasteries and 290 pagodas damaged, according to the military government. It did not mention any mosques in its damage report.

Reuters could not reach the mosques or verify the accounts of the collapses.

Myanmar earthquake death toll now at 1,644, says junta

The death toll from the Myanmar earthquake has risen to 1,644, the ruling junta said on Saturday, with 3,408 people injured, according to Agence France-Presse.

A statement from the junta’s information team said that at least 139 people are still missing after Friday’s 7.7-magnitude quake.

Earlier on Saturday, the country’s military junta said the death toll had surpassed 1,000.

“In the beginning I didn’t think she would be alive,” Ye Aung told Agence France-Presse (AFP) as he anxiously waited for his wife – then buried in the rubble – to emerge. Phyu Lay Khaing, 30, was brought out of the Sky Villa condominium by rescuers on Saturday, AFP journalists saw, 30 hours after a devastating quake hit Myanmar.

“I am very happy that I heard good news,” said the trader, who has two sons with his wife – eight-year-old William, and Ethan, five.

A Red Cross official told AFP earlier that more than 90 people could be trapped under the remains of the apartment block.

Woman rescued alive from collapsed Mandalay apartment block - report

Rescuers pulled a woman alive from the wreckage of a collapsed apartment building in Mandalay on Saturday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists saw, 30 hours after a devastating quake hit Myanmar.

Phyu Lay Khaing, 30, was brought out of the Sky Villa condominium by rescuers and carried by stretcher to be embraced by her husband, Ye Aung, and taken to hospital, reports AFP.

Summary of the day so far

It is approaching 8pm in Mandalay, Myanmar, and 8.30pm in Bangkok, Thailand. Here is what we know so far about Friday’s huge earthquake that hit Myanmar:

The death toll from a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar rose to more than 1,000 on Saturday as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of buildings that collapsed when it struck near the country’s second-largest city. The country’s military-led government said in a statement that 1,002 people have now been found dead and another 2,376 injured, with 30 others missing. The statement suggested the numbers could still rise, saying “detailed figures are still being collected.”

The earthquake struck at about midday on Friday with an epicenter not far from Mandalay, followed by several aftershocks including one measuring a strong 6.4 magnitude. It sent buildings in many areas toppling to the ground, buckled roads, caused bridges to collapse and burst a dam. A state of emergency was declared across the six worst-affected regions in Myanmar after the quake.

In the capital Naypyidaw, crews worked on Saturday to repair damaged roads, while electricity, phone and internet services remained down for most of the city. The earthquake brought down many buildings, including multiple units that housed government civil servants, but that section of the city was blocked off by authorities on Saturday, according to the Associated Press (AP).

Bangkok city authorities said so far six people have been found dead, 26 injured and 47 are still missing, most from a construction site near the capital’s popular Chatuchak market. On Saturday, more heavy equipment was brought in to move lage amounts of rubble, but hope was fading among friends and family members of the missing that they would be found alive.

Thai authorities said that the quake and aftershocks were felt in most of the country’s provinces. Many places in the north reported damage to residential buildings, hospitals and temples, including in Chiang Mai, but the only casualties were reported in Bangkok.

Myanmar’s government said blood was in high demand in the hardest-hit areas. In a country where prior governments sometimes have been slow to accept foreign aid, Min Aung Hlaing said Myanmar was ready to accept outside assistance.

Flights carrying rescue teams from China have landed at the airport in Yangon instead of going directly to the airports in the major stricken cities of Mandalay and Naypyidaw. China said it had sent more than 135 rescue personnel and experts along with supplies like medical kits and generators, and pledged $13.8m in emergency humanitarian aid.

Russia’s emergencies ministry said it had flown in 120 rescuers and supplies. India also sent a search and rescue team and a medical team and Malaysia said it would send 50 people on Sunday.

South Korea said it would provide $2m worth of humanitarian aid through international organisations, and the U.N. allocated $5m to start relief efforts.

King Charles sent a message of condolence after the deadly earthquake in Myanmar, as he continues to work while recuperating after his short stay in hospital. In a message addressed to “the people of Myanmar” and posted on social media, King Charles said: “At this most difficult and heartbreaking of times, my wife and I send our deepest possible sympathy to all those who have suffered the profound tragedy of losing their loved ones, their homes and their precious livelihoods.”

President Donald Trump said Friday that the US was going to help with the response, but some experts were concerned about this effort given his administration’s deep cuts in foreign assistance.

Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC analysed by the AP show the earthquake toppled the air traffic control tower at Naypyidaw international airport as if sheered from its base. Debris lay scattered from the top of the tower, which controlled all air traffic in the capital of Myanmar, the photos showed on Saturday.

A woman has been rescued alive from a collapsed Mandalay apartment block, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).

More details soon …

The AP reports that, according to Bangkok city authorities, six people have been found dead, 26 injured and 47 are still missing from a construction site near the capital’s popular Chatuchak market.

More heavy equipment was brought in to move the tons of rubble on Saturday, but hope was fading among friends and family members of the missing that they would be found alive.

“I was praying that that they had survived but when I got here and saw the ruin — where could they be? In which corner? Are they still alive? I am still praying that all six are alive,” said 45-year-old Naruemol Thonglek, sobbing as she awaited news about her partner, who is from Myanmar, and five friends who worked at the site.

“I cannot accept this. When I see this I can’t accept this. A close friend of mine is in there, too,” she said.

Waenphet Panta told AP she hadn’t heard from her daughter Kanlayanee since a phone call about an hour before the quake. A friend told her Kanlayanee had been working high on the building on Friday.

“I am praying my daughter is safe, that she has survived and that she’s at the hospital,” she said, Kanlayanee’s father sitting beside her.

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