Myanmar Quake Horror: Death Toll Soars Past 1,000 As Rubble Yields Grim Finds
Death Toll Soars Past 1,000 in Myanmar
The death toll from a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on Friday has surged to over 1,000, with rescue teams recovering more bodies from the wreckage of collapsed buildings near Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city.
Myanmar’s military government reported Saturday that 1,002 people are confirmed dead, 2,376 injured, and 30 missing, cautioning that these figures are still being tallied and could climb further.
The quake, centered just northwest of Mandalay at 12:50 PM local time, unleashed chaos across central Myanmar, toppling scores of structures, buckling roads, collapsing bridges, and breaching a dam. Aftershocks, including a 6.4 magnitude jolt, compounded the destruction.
Amid a civil war that has ravaged the nation since 2021, relief efforts face daunting hurdles—movement is perilous, infrastructure is frail, and millions are already displaced, raising fears of an even graver toll.
In Thailand, the tremors jolted Bangkok’s 17 million residents, bringing down a 33-story government high-rise under construction near Chatuchak market. City officials report six dead, 26 injured, and 47 missing there, mostly workers trapped in the rubble. Heavy machinery rolled in Saturday, but hope dwindles for survivors. “I can’t accept this,” wept Naruemol Thonglek, 45, awaiting news of her Myanmar-born partner and friends.
Waenphet Panta clung to hope for her daughter Kanlayanee, last heard from an hour before the quake hit her high-rise worksite.
Myanmar’s junta, led by Min Aung Hlaing, has appealed for international aid—a rare move—highlighting acute blood shortages in hard-hit zones. China’s Yunnan province sent a 37-member team with drones and detectors to Yangon, Russia dispatched 120 rescuers, India deployed search and medical units, and Malaysia preps a 50-person contingent.
The UN pledged $5 million, while President Donald Trump promised U.S. assistance, though experts question capacity amid his administration’s USAID cuts, which have strained Myanmar’s aid landscape. As rescuers dig, the region braces for a long, grim recovery.
