Myanmar earthquake: Junta seeks help from international community in rare request

Myanmar’s ruling junta on Friday urged the international community to provide humanitarian aid in a rare request after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the country.

“We want the international community to give humanitarian aid as soon as possible,” junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told AFP at the hospital.

While the official numbers of casualties are yet to be released, the fact that Myanmar’s military is seeking help suggests they could be on a large scale.

The junta said in a statement that a state of emergency was in effect in six of the worst-affected areas: Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, northeastern Shan State, Naypyidaw, and Bago.

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Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said 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 7.7-magnitude tremor hit northwest of the city of Sagaing on Friday afternoon at a shallow depth, the United States Geological Survey said. A 6.4-magnitude aftershock hit the same area minutes later.

The quakes wrought widespread damage, particularly in Myanmar, where buildings fell onto their sides, roads cracked open, and the well-known Ava bridge collapsed near the epicentre.

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Across the border in Thailand, where strong quakes are rare, the powerful tremors sent residents across many cities flooding out into the streets in panic.

In Bangkok, a 30-storey building under construction collapsed, trapping 43 workers, police and medics said.

The massive building intended for government offices was reduced to a tangle of rubble and twisted metal in seconds, footage shared on social media showed.

With inputs from agencies