At least 2,056 people were confirmed killed in Myanmar after what was the largest earthquake to hit the country in more than a century, authorities said. Experts fear that the real number of dead can take weeks to be revealed.
Rescue teams are looking for survivors more than three days after 7.7 magnitude tremor hit the country, overthrowing buildings in neighboring countries, such as the Thai capital, Bangkok, and sending tremors to nearby Chinese provinces.
The first 72 hours after an earthquake are widely considered the “gold” window to reach vivid burn victims under rubble – after this period, the chances of survival without a water source decrease rapidly.
Generalized damages were reported after the earthquake caused the collapse of bridges and buildings, including Bangkok, where authorities are trying to free dozens of people who are trapped under the rubble of a skyscraper under construction.
Meanwhile, foreign help and international rescue teams began to reach Myanmar after the military junta rarely appealed for help.
Friday’s earthquake (28) was the deadliest natural disaster to hit the country in years and occurred while Myanmar recovered from a civil war that, since 2021, has damaged communication networks, destroyed health infrastructure and left millions of people without adequate food and shelter.
Large number of victims
At least 2,056 people died and more than 3,900 were injured, the country’s military government said on Monday (31). At least 270 others remain missing.
United States Geological Service (USGs) estimated that the final number of dead could exceed 10,000 people based on initial models.
In Bangkok, hundreds of kilometers from the epicenter, at least 18 people died.
Of these, 11 died when a building under construction collapsed in minutes, leaving dozens trapped under the rubble. Seven fatalities were reported in other parts of the capital, the authorities reported.
Search and rescue operations are underway in Bangkok for about 80 people who are still missing, while families gather at the site of the skyscraper to get news from their loved ones.
“I called my husband, who is stuck inside, countless times. Probably 100 to 200 calls a day, but none of them are completed,” Kannika Noommisi told Reuters.
The earthquake was the most powerful to reach Myanmar since it was shaken by a 7.9 magnitude tremor in 1912 in Taunggyi, a city in the center of Myanmar.
Secondary tremors, the largest of which was a 6.7 magnitude tremor on Friday (28), continued throughout the weekend, according to USGS.
This content was originally published over two thousand the death toll after earthquake in Myanmar on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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