Myanmar’s military government made an extraordinary appeal for international assistance after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck central Myanmar on Friday (28), shaking a vast expanse of Southeast Asia and leaving destruction in its wake.
The total extent of the death toll is difficult to assess in a country that has been largely isolated from the rest of the world. The government reported that at least 144 people were killed and 732 injured in just three cities — not including Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, which is near the epicenter. The United States Geological Survey estimates that the death toll will likely exceed 1,000 or much more.
In neighboring Thailand, at least seven people were killed and dozens were missing after a construction skyscraper collapsed hundreds of miles away in Bangkok.
The appeal for international aid from Myanmar’s military spokesman, Gen. Zaw Min Tun, is highly unusual for the junta, which is under heavy sanctions from the United States, Britain, and others. Humanitarian groups said they were having difficulty assessing the damage because electricity and communication lines were down.
Humanitarian Aid
Myanmar’s long isolation and internal instability are likely to complicate the global humanitarian aid response, despite the rare appeal for external help from the country’s military-dominated government. In a country ravaged by civil war, significant logistical hurdles remain to deliver aid to those in need.
Limited Information
The Myanmar government has blocked internet access to suppress dissent and sustain its military rule. This has disconnected the country from the digital world, and details of the destruction in many parts of Myanmar are not immediately available. Bridges and several buildings in Myanmar have collapsed, according to the state newspaper The Global New Light of Myanmar.
Chaos in Thailand
In Bangkok, over 600 miles from Mandalay, videos showed water pouring out of pools atop high hotels and residential towers. Videos verified by The New York Times showed the collapse of a 30-story skyscraper that was under construction as workers and passersby ran for cover. At least seven people were killed in the collapse, and 20 people were trapped in an elevator, an official said.
Active Earthquake Zone
Myanmar is located in one of the most seismically active regions in the world. A magnitude 6.8 earthquake in eastern Myanmar killed more than 70 people and destroyed hundreds of buildings in 2011. The tremor was felt as far away as Bangladesh, Vietnam, and southern China.
Source: The New York Times