Myanmar earthquake update: 144 dead, more than 700 injured after 7.7 magnitude quake rocks Asia

Horrifying footage continues to emerge after a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck across Southeast, so far claiming 144 lives, as the desperate search for survivors amongst rubble continues.

The powerful earthquake centred in Myanmar caused extensive damage across multiple regions, with rescuers in Bangkok searching for 81 people in the rubble of a collapsed building.

At least three people were killed in the town of Taungoo in Myanmar when a mosque partially collapsed, witnesses said. Local media reported that at least two people died and 20 were injured after a hotel collapsed in Aung Ban.

Drones, sniffer dogs and diggers have been deployed in across sites in Southeast Asia, as fears grow of a much higher death toll.

It is understood around 720 people are confirmed to have been injured from the deadly quake.

Footage of the moment the quake struck has been shared widely across social media.

Onlookers ran in terror as an under-construction building began to shake before collapsing. Dust from the rubble filled the air, as the reality of the quake’s strength became apparent.

Water from a pool atop a high-rise apartment block gushed over the sides of the building as the quake hit.

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Some holiday makers were caught on roof tops or even in the pool as the water around them became choppy.

A video shared by one user from inside a room showed the walls shaking violently, with the furniture around him falling.

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The ruling military in Myanmar did not give any numbers for dead and wounded. The diplomatic spokesman for the parallel National Unity Government that opposes the junta said Friday’s quake killed at least 12 people and more deaths were likely in the Mandalay area it hit.

Troops from the anti-junta militias, known as the People’s Defence Forces, would provide humanitarian help, Zin Mar Aung told Reuters.

In Thailand, the defence minister said rescuers were searching for 81 people trapped in the rubble of a skyscraper that was under construction and collapsed into a pile of rubble.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said three people were killed at the building site. He warned of possible aftershocks but urged people to be calm and said the situation was largely under control.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake, which struck at lunchtime, was of 7.7 magnitude and at a depth of 10 km. The epicentre was about 17 km from Mandalay, which has a population of about 1.5 million.

The quake was followed by a powerful aftershock and several more moderate ones.

The quake caused the collapse of buildings in five cities and towns, as well as a railway bridge and a road bridge on the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway, Myanmar state media said. Images showed the destroyed Ava Bridge over the Irrawaddy River, its arches leaning into the water.

The quake will further stretch Myanmar’s ruling military, which is fighting against an armed uprising. The junta declared a state of emergency in multiple regions but provided no specifics of damage.

“The state will make inquiries on the situation quickly and conduct rescue operations along with providing humanitarian aid,” it said on Telegram.

The Red Cross said roads, bridges and buildings had been damaged in Myanmar, and there were concerns for the state of large dams.

Mandalay is Myanmar’s ancient royal capital and at the centre of the country’s Buddhist heartland.

A Mandalay resident said destruction stretched across the whole city, and one neighbourhood, Sein Pan, was on fire.

Roads were damaged, phone lines disrupted and there was no electricity, said the resident, who declined to be named.

Local media outlet Myanmar Now posted images showing a clock tower had collapsed, and part of the wall by Mandalay Palace was in ruins.

Witnesses reported people trapped inside a Mandalay a tea shop and at least three people are said to have died after a mosque in Taungoo partially collapsed.

Local media reported a hotel in Aung Ban, in Shan state, crumbled into rubble, with the Democratic Voice of Burma reporting two people dead and 20 trapped.

Army-run MRTV reported that the quake toppled buildings, crushed cars and left huge fissures on roads across the capital Naypyitaw.

Amnesty International said the earthquake could not have come at a worse time for Myanmar, given the number of displaced people, the existing need for relief aid, and cuts by the Trump administration to US aid.

Since overthrowing the elected civilian government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, the military has struggled to run the country, leaving the economy and basic services like healthcare in tatters.

The country has also been hit by natural disasters in recent years, including Typhoon Yagi last year and Cyclone Mocha in 2023, and the internationally isolated junta has struggled to respond adequately.

In the Thai capital, people ran out onto the streets in panic, many of them hotel guests in bathrobes and swimming costumes, as water cascaded down from an elevated pool at a luxury hotel, witnesses said.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand suspended all trading activities for the Friday afternoon session.

One office tower in downtown Bangkok swayed from side to side for at least two minutes, with doors and windows creaking loudly, witnesses said.

- with Reuters