In Photos: The big 7.7 earthquake reduces Myanmar, Bangkok to rubble
A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake shook Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand on Friday afternoon, leaving widespread destruction and loss of life. More than 140 are dead and 700 are injured. Buildings and bridges collapsed, and roads caved in. These images show you the scale of destruction
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On Friday afternoon, a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked Central Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand, with the epicentre at 16 kilometres north-northwest of the town of Myanmar's Sagaing. The tremors were so intense that a construction site in Bangkok collapsed like a pack of cards, killing at least three and trapping many under the rubble. AFP
As the powerful earthquake jolted Myanmar's capital, Naypyidaw, several roads and highways were damaged. The country's Mandalay International Airport also sustained heavy damage, leading to the temporary suspension of operations and the cancellation of all flights. AFP
A major 1,000-bed hospital in Myanmar's capital, Naypyidaw, has been designated a 'mass casualty area' following the powerful earthquake, an official at the facility told AFP. At least 20 deaths have been confirmed from the hospital so far, but doctors said they expect the toll to rise rapidly into the hundreds. Reuters
Outside the emergency department of the 1,000-bed general hospital, rows of injured patients were being treated—some writhing in pain, while others lay motionless as their relatives tried to console them, while others waited to receive medical attention. AFP
A woman reacts as she watches rescuers at the site of a high-rise building under construction that collapsed in Bangkok, Thailand. The country's defense minister says at least 90 people are missing at the site and three are confirmed dead. AFP
Hundreds of homes were also destroyed in a 7.7-magnitude earthquake. The picture shows a resident carrying belongings over debris next to a damaged building in Naypyidaw. AFP
As an earthquake struck, the top of Myanmar's Shwe Sar Yan Pagoda, to the south-east of Mandalay, had collapsed. Onlookers can be heard screaming and shouting as part of the building crashed to the ground. AP
People sit on the pavement following the strong earthquake. Hundreds of people were seen pouring out of buildings in the Thai capital in panic after the tremors. A total of 12 aftershocks were registered in the country, Thai Meteorological Department’s Earthquake Observation Division said. Reuters<br /><br />
A worker reacts while sitting on the ground near the site of a collapsed building in Bangkok, Thailand. Police and dogs are searching for survivors in the rubble as many are feared trapped. Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra earlier arrived at the scene where the under-construction building collapsed in Bangkok. Reuters
A Buddha statue is placed on a car as residents remove valuables from damaged buildings in Naypyidaw, Myanmar. AFP