Indian Foreign Secretary Jaideep Muzumdar on Friday said that the upcoming BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok, to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be held as usual after a 7.7 magnitude struck Myanmar followed by tremors in Thailand.
“We are in touch with authorities in Bangkok. Nothing to indicate any impact it will have on the summit,” Mazumar said.
PM Modi will visit Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok, from April 3 to 4 at the invitation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to attend the 6th BIMSTEC Summit.
A massive earthquake on Friday turned a major hospital in Myanmar’s capital into a “mass casualty area”, while at least three people were killed and dozens trapped in neighbouring Thailand when a skyscraper collapsed.
The shallow 7.7-magnitude tremor hit northwest of the city of Sagaing, central Myanmar, and was followed minutes later by a 6.4-magnitude aftershock, toppling buildings, rupturing roads and collapsing the well-known Ava bridge.
In Thailand, a 30-storey building under construction collapsed in Bangkok. Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters at least three workers had been killed, with 81 more trapped inside.
Across Bangkok and the northern tourist destination of Chiang Mai, where the power briefly went out, stunned residents hurried outside, unsure of how to respond to the unusual quake.
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View AllMeanwhile, PM Modi has announced that India is “ready” to offer any kind of assistance Myanmar needs at this time, adding that the Ministry of External Affairs is in touch with its administration.
The Indian Embassy in Bangkok said, “Indian Embassy is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with the Thai authorities. So far, no untoward incident involving any Indian citizen has been reported.”
With inputs from agencies