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Experts predict 10,000+ dead in horror quake

 

Experts say the devastating earthquake in Myanmar was likely the strongest to hit the country in decades, with modelling suggesting thousands could be dead.

Experts say the devastating earthquake in Myanmar on Friday was likely the strongest to hit the country in decades, with disaster modelling suggesting more than 10,000 could be dead.

So far, at least 1,002 people were confirmed killed and nearly 2,400 injured in Myanmar, the ruling junta said in a statement. Around 10 more deaths have been confirmed in Bangkok.

But with communications badly disrupted, the accurate scale of the disaster is only starting to emerge from the isolated military-ruled state, and the toll is expected to rise significantly. 

Automatic assessments from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the shallow 7.7-magnitude quake northwest of the central Myanmar city of Sagaing triggered a red alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses.

“High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” it said, locating the epicentre near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay, home to more than a million people.

Myanmar’s ruling junta said on Saturday morning that the number killed had passed 1,000, with more than 2,000 injured.

However, the USGS analysis said there was a 35 percent chance that possible fatalities could be in the range of 10,000-100,000 people.

The USGS offered a similar likelihood that the financial damage could total tens of thousands of millions of dollars, warning that it might exceed the GDP of Myanmar.

Bone-chilling footage from the disaster has continued to filter through, as authorities in both Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand desperately search for survivors amongst the wreckage.

Civilian videos captured from the ground have shown the moment a high-rise building was toppled, forcing hundreds of onlookers to flee for their lives. Another tragic video showed a man working on a crane being tossed to his death as the 7.7 magnitude event wreaked havoc.

- The Emergency Action Alliance has launched a centralised appeal for the victims of the Myanmar earthquake.

Donations can be made here or by calling 1300 939 000 -

It was the biggest quake to hit Myanmar in over a century, according to US geologists, and the tremors were powerful enough to severely damage buildings across Bangkok, hundreds of kilometres (miles) away from the epicentre.

The country declared a state of emergency across the six worst-affected regions after the quake, and at one major hospital in the capital, Naypyidaw, medics were forced to treat the wounded in the open air.

One official described it as a “mass casualty area”.

“I haven’t seen (something) like this before. We are trying to handle the situation. I’m so exhausted now,” a doctor told AFP.

 

This aerial photograph shows the site of an under-construction building collapse in Bangkok on March 29, 2025, a day after an earthquake struck central Myanmar and Thailand. Rescuers dug through the rubble of collapsed buildings on March 29 in a desperate search for survivors after a huge earthquake hit Myanmar and Thailand, killing more than 150 people. (Photo by AFP)
This aerial photograph shows the site of an under-construction building collapse in Bangkok on March 29, 2025, a day after an earthquake struck central Myanmar and Thailand. Rescuers dug through the rubble of collapsed buildings on March 29 in a desperate search for survivors after a huge earthquake hit Myanmar and Thailand, killing more than 150 people. (Photo by AFP)

 

Meanwhile, rescuers in the Thai capital laboured through the night searching for workers trapped when a 30-storey skyscraper under construction collapsed, reduced in seconds to a pile of rubble and twisted metal by the force of the shaking.

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt told AFP that around 10 people had been confirmed killed across the city, most in the skyscraper collapse.

But up to 100 workers were still unaccounted for at the building, close to the Chatuchak weekend market that is a magnet for tourists.

“We are doing our best with the resources we have because every life matters,” Chadchart told reporters at the scene.

“Our priority is acting as quickly as possible to save them all.”

Bangkok city authorities said they will deploy more than 100 engineers to inspect buildings for safety after receiving over 2,000 reports of damage.

US president Donald Trump has vowed the United States would assist Myanmar following a rare plea for aid by the Southeast Asian nation’s ruling junta.

“It’s terrible,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office about the quake when asked if he would respond to the appeal by Myanmar’s military rulers.

“It’s a real bad one, and we will be helping. We’ve already spoken with the country.”

Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing had earlier invited “any country, any organisation” to help with relief, in a speech aired on state media.

India, France and the European Union offered to provide assistance, while the WHO said it was mobilising to prepare trauma injury supplies.

 

Bone-chilling footage from Myanmar’s devastating earthquake has continued to filter through, as authorities desperately search for survivors amongst the rubble. (Photo by Handout / Courtesy of Facebook user Khon Su Cheevit Adeet Mai Suay Rok Na / AFP)
Bone-chilling footage from Myanmar’s devastating earthquake has continued to filter through, as authorities desperately search for survivors amongst the rubble. (Photo by Handout / Courtesy of Facebook user Khon Su Cheevit Adeet Mai Suay Rok Na / AFP)

 

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also sent his condolences to Myanmar and Thailand.

“I am deeply saddened to learn of the significant damage caused by the earthquake in central Myanmar. My heartfelt condolences go out to all those affected,“Ishiba said in the message sent on Friday.

“I sincerely pray for the swift recovery of those affected as well as the early restoration of the disaster-stricken areas. We stand with the people of Myanmar, our close friend, in this difficult time,” he said.

In a separate message to Thailand, he said he was “saddened” and extended “our deepest sympathies to those who have been affected. We stand with the Kingdom of Thailand, our good friend.”

 

Civilian videos captured from the ground have shown the moment a high-rise building was toppled, forcing hundreds of onlookers to flee for their lives. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)
Civilian videos captured from the ground have shown the moment a high-rise building was toppled, forcing hundreds of onlookers to flee for their lives. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)


Sophie Monk: ‘It was so hectic’

Sophie Monk has recounted the terrifying moment she was on the 52nd floor of a hotel in Thailand when a major earthquake struck, filming herself fleeing the building.

The Australian media personality and singer is currently in Bangkok and said she was caught in the “scariest ever earthquake”.

“I have never experienced anything like this,” she said on social media.

“[We were] on the 52nd floor, so the building was going side to side.

“We ran down the emergency stairs and made it out. That will get your heart racing.

“I hope everyone is OK, it was so hectic.”

Ms Monk shared footage of herself running down flights of stairs following the deadly tremor. In another video, she claimed there were “no alarms or anything giving instructions” in the hotel following the quake.

In the footage she can be heard calling out to another person who had asked if they could come down the stairs.

“I don’t know,” Ms Monk responds, before the group eventually decides to keep making their way down.

The 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city on Friday afternoon, with a 6.4 magnitude aftershock hitting just 11 minutes later.

So far, 144 have been confirmed dead in Myanmar and at least 732 have been injured.

However, the full extent of the catastrophe is yet to emerge, with Myanmar’s military government, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing saying the death toll is “expected to rise”.

 

Thousands feared dead

The US Geological Survey forecast thousands of losses after the 7.7 magnitude quake struck.

Its destruction also reached as far as the Thai capital of Bangkok, with authorities reporting at least 10 people have died and 16 others have been injured.

The tremor caused a 33-storey building under construction in the popular Chatuchak market to collapse, killing multiple workers and trapping dozens more under the rubble.

“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.

 

Rescue teams operate at a construction site where a building collapsed in Bangkok following the earthquake. Picture: Chanakarn Laosarakham/AFP
Rescue teams operate at a construction site where a building collapsed in Bangkok following the earthquake. Picture: Chanakarn Laosarakham/AFP


Friends and relatives of the people who are trapped within a collapsed under-construction skyscraper watch on as rescue crews work. Picture: Sirachai Arunrugstichai/Getty Images
Friends and relatives of the people who are trapped within a collapsed under-construction skyscraper watch on as rescue crews work. Picture: Sirachai Arunrugstichai/Getty Images

 

Footage shared to social media showed onlookers screaming and running as the building crashed into a cloud of dust.

As night fell, around 100 rescue workers assembled at the scene to search for survivors, illuminated by specially erected floodlights.

Visiting the site, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said “every building” in Bangkok would need to be inspected for safety, though it was not immediately clear how that would be carried out.

At least 101 people are now missing from across three separate construction sites in the Din Daeng, Bang Sue and Chatuchak districts.

An emergency zone was declared in Bangkok, where some metro and light rail services were suspended.

 

More than 100 people are missing across three construction sites in Bangkok. Picture: Sirachai Arunrugstichai/Getty Images
More than 100 people are missing across three construction sites in Bangkok. Picture: Sirachai Arunrugstichai/Getty Images


The streets of the capital were full of commuters attempting to walk home, or simply taking refuge in the entrances of malls and office buildings.

City authorities said parks would stay open overnight for those unable to sleep at home.

Strong quakes are extremely rare in Thailand, and across Bangkok and the northern tourist destination of Chiang Mai, stunned residents hurried outside, unsure of how to respond.

“This is the strongest tremor I’ve experienced in my life,” said Sai, 76, who rushed out of a minimart in Chiang Mai when it started to shake.

The quake was felt across the region, with China, Cambodia, Bangladesh and India all reporting tremors.

‘Mass casualty area’

Four years of civil war sparked by the military seizing power have ravaged Myanmar’s infrastructure and healthcare system, leaving it ill-equipped to respond to such a disaster.

Power is down in parts of Myanmar’s biggest city Yangon, the local utility said.

The country declared a state of emergency across the six worst-affected regions after the quake.

Hundreds of casualties arrived at a major hospital in Naypyidaw, where the emergency department entrance had collapsed on a car.

 

A building collapsing in Mandalay, Myanmar, following the earthquake. Picture: AFP
A building collapsing in Mandalay, Myanmar, following the earthquake. Picture: AFP


People inspect the debris of a collapsed building in Mandalay. Picture: AFP
People inspect the debris of a collapsed building in Mandalay. Picture: AFP


Medics treated the wounded outside the hospital, the same one visited by the junta chief. One official described it as a “mass casualty area”.

“I haven’t seen (something) like this before. We are trying to handle the situation. I’m so exhausted now,” a doctor told AFP.

Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, appeared to have been badly hit. AFP photos from the city showed multiple buildings in ruins.

A resident reached by phone told AFP that a hospital and a hotel had been destroyed, and said the city was badly lacking in rescue personnel.

The main road bridge linking Mandalay and Sagaing was down, the city’s university and historic palace wall have collapsed, and telecoms have been affected, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said.

India, France and the European Union offered to provide assistance, while the WHO said it was mobilising to prepare trauma injury supplies.

 

Author: Ally Foster , Alex Blair and AFP

Source: News Corp Australia Network:

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