Earthquake news | Highlights: 14 temblors hit Myanmar after 7.7 magnitude quake

Track latest updates on Myanmar earthquake HERE

Earthquake today LIVE: According to US Geological Survey (USGS) data, a total 15 earthquakes were recorded in Myanmar within 10 hours on Friday, starting with the massive 7,7 magnitude trembler that struck the country at 06:20:54 (UTC).

The most powerful aftershock was measured at Magnitude 6.7, occurring at 06:32:04 (UTC), according to USGS.

Earthquake today LIVE: Approximately 15 tonnes of relief material is being sent to Myanmar on an IAF C 130 J aircraft from Hindon air force station. The relief material includes tents, sleeping bags, blankets, ready-to-eat meals, water purifiers, hygiene kits, solar lamps, generator sets, essential Medicines (Paracetamol, antibiotics, canula, syringes, gloves, cotton bandages, urine bags, etc), according to sources cited by news agency ANI.

Earthquake today LIVE: A Magnitude 4.2 earthquake hit Afghanistan in the early hours of Saturday. According to the US Geological Survey, the epicentre of the earthquake was 24 km south-southeast of Jurm in Afghanistan, at a depth of 226.9 kilometres.

Earthquake today LIVE: Myanmar’s military leader on Friday appealed for international aid to cater to the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that has killed at least 144 people, a toll the country expects will go up as rescue efforts continue.

The earthquake and multiple aftershock, also affected neighboring Thailand, China, and Vietnam. In Thailand, authorities said at least 10 people were killed and more than 100 missing after a building under construction collapsed.

“In some areas, buildings collapsed so rescue efforts are still under way,” Bloomberg quoted junta chief Min Aung Hlaing as saying in a video speech on state broadcaster MRTV. “As we carry out extensive rescue and relief efforts, I would like to request help,” he added.

Earthquake today LIVE: A video showed the moments when a rooftop pool in earthquake zone emptied onto a road, with people getting swept off their. According to Grok, the video was likely from China, where tremors of the Myanmar earthquake were felt in southwest Yunnan province, with Beijing's quake agency reporting the jolt as a 7.9 magnitude earthquake.

Earthquake today LIVE: A before-and-after comparison of Mahamuni Buddha Temple in Mandalay in Myanmar, following the earthquake. Visuals were shared by Shanghai Daily.

Earthquake today LIVE: In Thailand, where a 33-story building under construction was reduced to rubble near Bangkok’s popular Chatuchak market due to the impact of the Myanmar earthquake, death toll has reportedly reached 10.

Authorities in Bangkok said 10 people were killed, 16 injured and 101 missing from three construction sites, including the high-rise.

Earthquake today LIVE: US President Donald Trump's administration told Congress on Friday it would cut nearly all remaining jobs at the US Agency for International Development and shut the agency, however, he promised that the US would provide assistance to Myanmar following a devastating earthquake.

(via Reuters)

Earthquake today LIVE: While Myanmar is in an active earthquake belt, with many of the temblors hitting sparsely populated areas, not cities like those affected Friday, The US Geological Survey, an American government science agency, estimated that the death toll could top 1,000.

The full extent of death, injury and destruction is not known yet — particularly in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war, with information tightly controlled.

“The death toll and injuries are expected to rise,” news agency AP quoted the head of Myanmar’s military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing as saying as he announced on television that at least 144 people were killed and 730 others were injured in his country.

(via AP)

Earthquake today LIVE: India will send over 15 tonnes of relief material to Myanmar following a series of powerful earthquakes, sources told ANI. India will send the relief materials to Myanmar aboard an Indian Air Force (IAF) C-130J aircraft from Air Force Station Hindon.

Earthquake today LIVE: Soil liquefaction was a major cause of the damage, said O P Mishra, head of the NCS.

Soil liquefaction happens during a strong earthquake, when the ground starts acting like a liquid instead of solid land, due to wet soil in the region that looses its strength when the earthquake hits.

As a result, buildings, roads and other structures may sink, tilt or collapse, Mishra explained.

Earthquake today LIVE: Another earthquake, with a magnitude of 4.2 on the Richter Scale, hit Myanmar late on Friday, the National Center for Seismology reported.

Earthquake today LIVE: Preliminary estimates by the US Geological Survey show that nearly 8,00,000 people in Myanmar may have been within the zone of the most violent shaking and that death tolls could possibly exceed 1,000 people.

Currently, the confirmed death toll is 144 people.

Earthquake today LIVE: US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he had spoken with officials in Myanmar about the earthquake that hit the country and that his administration would be providing some form of assistance.

Earthquake today LIVE: The WHO says it is mobilising its logistics hub in Dubai to prepare trauma injury supplies for Myanmar.

"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," WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris says at a media briefing.

Earthquake today LIVE: Thailand's interior minister Anutin Charnvirakul has said eight dead bodies have been recovered and between 90 and 110 people are unaccounted for.

"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, according to AFP

Earthquake today LIVE: Sagaing has been hit by several quakes in recent years, with a 6.8 magnitude event causing at least 26 deaths and dozens of injuries in late 2012.

But Friday's event was "probably the biggest" to hit Myanmar's mainland in three-quarters of a century, Bill McGuire, an earthquake expert at UCL, told Reuters.

Roger Musson, honorary research fellow at the British Geological Survey, told Reuters that the shallow depth of the quake meant the damage would be more severe. The quake's epicentre was at a depth of just 10 km (6.2 miles), according to the United States Geological Survey.

"This is very damaging because it has occurred at a shallow depth, so the shockwaves are not dissipated as they go from the focus of the earthquake up to the surface. The buildings received the full force of the shaking."

"It's important not to be focused on epicentres because the seismic waves don't radiate out from the epicentre - they radiate out from the whole line of the fault," he added.

Earthquake today LIVE: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the world body is mobilizing in Southeast Asia to help those in need after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocked Myanmar and Thailand.

"The government of Myanmar has asked for international support, and our team in Myanmar is already in contact in order to fully mobilize our resources in the region to support the people of Myanmar," Reuters quoted Guterres as saying.

"But of course, there are other countries impacted. The epicenter is in Myanmar, and Myanmar is the weakest country in this present situation," he added.

Earthquake today LIVE: A predictive analysis from a US agency based on the strength and depth of Friday's earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand estimated there could be thousands of deaths and severe economic loss, with Myanmar's Sagaing and Meiktila regions worst hit.

"Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist," the USGS analysis said.

Earthquake today LIVE: The death toll and the number of injuries are likely to rise, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing said in a video speech on state broadcaster MRTV.

“In some areas, buildings collapsed so rescue efforts are still under way,” he said. “As we carry out extensive rescue and relief efforts, I would like to request help.”

Earthquake today LIVE: At least 144 people have been killed in Myanmar due to the massive earthquake that hit the country on Friday, the ruling junta chief said, reported AFP.

The chief, Min Aung Hlaing, also invited "any country, any organisation" to help with relief efforts and warned that the toll could go up in a speech aired on state media.

Earthquake today LIVE: The earthquake in Myanmar reportedly brought down multiple buildings in Mandalay, including the Ma Soe Yane monastery.

A video shared on social media showed monks in the street shooting video of the multistory monastery before it suddenly fell to the ground. It was not immediately clear whether anyone was harmed, according to the Associated Press.

Earthquake today LIVE: Myanmar's ruling junta on Friday called for donations of blood and medical supplies to help people hospitalised after they were injured devastation triggered by a strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake.

Zaw Min Tun, spokesperson of the military government, made the appeal for medical supplies in a late night news bulletin on state television, according to Reuters.

Earthquake today LIVE: Pope Francis offered prayers to the victims of a powerful earthquake in Southeast Asia on Friday, the Vatican said.

“The pope has been informed of the disaster in Myanmar and is praying for the dramatic situation and for the many victims, also in Thailand,’’ the Vatican said, according to AP.