BANGKOK — A 7.7-magnitude earthquake centered in Myanmar reverberated across Southeast Asia on Friday, with the scale of death and destruction slowly coming into view in the war-ravaged nation where the military government maintains a tight hold on information.
The earthquake occurred around 1:30 p.m. local time (2:30 a.m. ET) at a depth of 6 miles near Mandalay, the second-largest city in Myanmar, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was followed 11 minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock, which the USGS initially reported as a 6.4-magnitude.
The USGS warned on Friday that “high casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread.” According to a predictive analysis based on the strength and depth of the earthquake, the agency estimated that more than 1000 people may have been killed, with a death toll over 10,000 a strong possibility.
Myanmar’s ruling military general, Min Aung Hlaing, said the death toll was at least 140 people and likely to rise, with hundreds of others injured, according to Reuters.
Min Aung Hlaing invited “any country” to provide help and donations, adding that he had opened routes for international assistance and had accepted offers of help from India and ASEAN, the bloc of Southeast Asian nations.
President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States would be assisting following the earthquake.
“It’s a real bad one, and we will be helping,” he said.
Zaw Min Tun, spokesperson for Myanmar’s military government, earlier made an appeal for medical supplies in a late-night news bulletin on state television, calling for blood donations due to “so many” injuries across three urban areas.
In neighboring Thailand, at least 10 people were confirmed to have been killed, with at least 100 more missing, according to city officials. The death toll is expected to rise there, as well, but the damage seemed less widespread.
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