Rescue volunteers, many of whom are poorly equipped local individuals, are racing to locate survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings across central Myanmar, two days after a massive earthquake killed over 1,700 people in the country and at least 18 in neighboring Thailand. Red Cross officials have stated that Myanmar is facing “a level of devastation that hasn’t been seen over a century in Asia,” after a 7.7-magnitude quake struck near the center of the country on Friday afternoon, followed by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock. The quake has caused extensive damage and destruction, including hospitals, roads, bridges, and power supplies, phone, and internet connections. Rescue workers in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, have stated that those in need of help are continually calling for assistance, but there are difficulties in reaching them. Satellite images show the devastation caused by the earthquake in Myanmar; however, the true scale of the devastation in Myanmar, which has been plunged into war for the past four years, could take days or even weeks to emerge, according to aid experts. The US Geological Survey’s predictive modeling estimates Myanmar’s death toll could exceed 10,000, and the losses could surpass the country’s annual economic output. On Sunday morning, rescue efforts continued at the site of a collapsed 30-storey tower in Chatuchak district, Bangkok. Eleven people have been confirmed dead, and workers are frantically searching for 78 who remain missing. The junta in Myanmar said at least 1,700 people were killed, and more than 3,400 injured in the country, with at least 300 missing. Photo: Rescue personnel at the site of a building that collapsed in Mandalay. Scores of people are feared to be trapped across the city. Photograph: Reuters

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/30/aftershocks-frighten-myanmar-survivors-while-death-toll-from-bangkok-high-rise-collapse-rises