The number of deaths pass 1000 after a devastating earthquake in Myanmar

The number of deaths from an earthquake in Myanmar was approved on Saturday, when the military government declared a state of emergency and appealed to blood donations

The Military Council said that 1,002 people were killed and 2,376 were wounded with 30 missing, according to Myanmar Government media, although these numbers are expected to rise. The earthquake also caused at least six deaths in Thailand, with more than 100 missing after the collapse of a building in Bangkok, the capital.

Mile Center from 7.7 earthquake It was about 20 km outside Mandalay, the second largest city in Myanmar and with a population of 1.5 million, and a depth of 10 kilometers. This was followed by more than twenty wireless tremors, including a nearly 6.4 -size earthquake after 12 minutes from the first.

“It is expected that the number of victims will rise,” said the leader of the military council, General Min Aung Hulang, late on Friday. “In some areas, the buildings collapsed and we are still carrying out rescue operations.”

He made an appeal to “the largest possible support for the continuous rescue efforts.”

At a press conference on Friday, President Donald Trump described the earthquake as “terrible” and said that the United States would help Myanmar in the wake of this, without providing details.

His comments came on the same day that the Foreign Ministry officially informed Congress that he would close the US Agency for International Development, which usually plays an important role in disaster relief.

European Commission President Ursula von der Layen and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also provided support, while the United Nations allocated $ 5 million and the European Union 2.5 million euros for immediate relief efforts. South Korea also pledged $ 2 million in assistance through international relief groups.

The earthquake, which was the strongest since 2023 earthquake in Türkiye and SyriaHe felt all over the region, including in the provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, Vietnam and Bangladesh.

The American Geological Survey expected that the number of deaths in Myanmar would exceed 10,000 based on its modeling, as “high injuries and comprehensive damage is possible and the catastrophe is likely to be widespread.”

He added that economic losses can exceed the country’s gross domestic product, which amounted to 66.76 billion dollars in 2023, according to the World Bank.

United Nations Secretary -General Antonio Guterres said that the United Nations “was worshiping to help the needy” in the region, especially in Myanmar, which he said was “the weakest country in this current situation.”

Videos and photos on social media showed wide destruction in Mandalay, the historical capital of Myanmar, where temples were destroyed, the royal palace was damaged and a 90 -year -old bridge collapsed. The cracks erupted on the highway to Yangon, the most populated city.

China sent 100 million yuan ($ 14 million) of emergency aid and sent rescue teams from Beijing and South West Jonah to Myanmar, according to the Chinese media. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a previous statement that it had not received reports on the death of Chinese citizens.

Russia has also sent two crew planes and medical employees, including the K-9 teams, to Myanmar, according to the government news agency Tass.

The disaster was struck as Myanmar was Destroyed with the civil war Since the 2021 coup that toppled the Nobel Peace Prize government, the elected Aung San Suu Ki.

The northern part of the country was near the earthquake center, which was severely wounded by fighting between military and armed groups supporting democracy and ethnic minorities. About 3.5 million people are internally displaced, according to the United Nations.

The army tightly controlled access to information, put online controls and suppressed local media, while Western sanctions removed the country and strangled its economy.

Starlink, the Internet from Elon Musk online, said it is preparing to provide equipment to support “communications and relief efforts”, pending government approval. The system is not licensed in Myanmar, but armed resistance groups have used them to evade government internet controls, according to local media reports.

There are also concerns about reaching humanitarian relief efforts within Myanmar, where military governments are restricting international aid to disaster victims, according to rights groups, including in the wake of a hurricane in 2023 and the Nargis in 2008, which killed more than 100,000.

In a statement, the head of Médecins Sans Frontières in Myanmar Federica Franco said that the situation “is an incredible challenge, not only to get information, but also to physically access these people who need help.”

She added that there is “large power outage in some of the most difficult areas. … due to the ongoing conflict.”

Bangkok, the 17 million Thai capital, was cautiously returning to normal on Saturday morning, as companies reopened the monks and toured rounds of morning honesty.

It has mostly resumed metro and railway services, as well as flights from city airports, albeit with some disturbances.

The worst damage to the city, 600 miles from the earthquake center, came after a 33 -storey building collapsed, besieging dozens of workers.

Natanan, 27, was at the collapse site on Friday night in search of his father’s news, who works as a man. “I am still waiting for hope,” he told the Financial Times.

Additional reports by William Langley in Guangzhou