Earthquake: Thousands could be dead in Myanmar, projects USGS | 10 points

The earthquake with epicenter near Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city, struck at midday and was followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock.

At least 144 people were killed and 730 injured after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar, the country's military government said.

People stand past the debris of a collapsed building in Mandalay in Myanmar, on March 28, 2025, after an earthquake.(AFP)

“The death toll and injuries are expected to rise,” Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing was quoted by AP as saying.

Myanmar-Thailand earthquake LIVE coverage

However, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in a statement projected that thousands could be dead in the quake.

The earthquake with epicenter near Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city, struck at midday and was followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock.

The earthquake too hit Thailand, killing eight people in the capital Bangkok, where a high-rise under construction building collapsed.

Here are the top 10 updates on the earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand:-

1. Pope Francis offered prayers to the victims of the earthquake on Friday, the sixth day of his convalescence in the Vatican after a five-week hospitalisation for life-threatening double pneumonia. "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," AP quoted the Vatican as saying.

2. Myanmar's military government said that blood was in high demand in the hardest-hit areas. Images of buckled and cracked roads in Mandalay and damaged highways as well as the collapse of a bridge and dam raised further concerns about how rescuers would even reach some areas.

3. Bangkok's city hall declared the city a disaster area to facilitate the response, AP reported. The greater metropolitan area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments.

4. Myanmar declared a state of emergency across the six worst-affected regions after the quake, which the World Health Organization described as a "very, very big threat to life and health". Hundreds of casualties arrived at a major hospital in Naypyidaw where the emergency department entrance had collapsed on a car, AFP reported.

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

6. India, France and the European Union all offered to provide assistance, while the WHO said it was mobilising its logistics hub in Dubai to prepare trauma injury supplies.

7. A rescue worker from the Moe Saydanar charity group told Reuters that it had retrieved at least 60 bodies from monasteries and buildings in Pyinmanar, near Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw, and more people were trapped.

8. The US Geological Survey and Germany's GFZ centre for geosciences said the earthquake was a shallow 10 kilometres, according to preliminary reports. Shallower earthquakes tend to cause more damage.

9. The Red Cross said downed power lines added to challenges for their teams trying to reach several hard-hit areas. “This disaster will have left people devastated and in need of drinking water, food and shelter," said Julie Mehigan, head of Asia, Middle East & Europe for Christian Aid.

10. To the northeast, the earthquake was felt in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in China and caused damage to houses and injuries in the city of Ruili on the border with Myanmar, according to Chinese media reports.

(With agencies inputs)