Powerful earthquake rocks Myanmar, kills 694 people, injures 1670

BANGKOK: The death toll from a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has jumped to nearly 700, according to the government.

State-run television MRTV reported that 694 people have now been found dead and another 1,670 injured, with 68 others injured, according to a statement from the military-led government. The same figures were also reported by the independent news site The Irrawaddy.

The earthquake struck midday Friday with an epicenter not far from Mandalay, Myanmar’s second biggest city, sending buildings in many areas toppling to the ground and causing other widespread damage.

Myanmar is in the throes of a prolonged and bloody civil war, which is already responsible for a massive humanitarian crisis. It makes movement around the country both difficult and dangerous, complicating relief efforts.

The head of Myanmar’s military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, said in a rare television broadcast Friday that the death toll was expected to rise as he reported an initial 144 people found dead.

The earthquake also shook neighboring Thailand, killing six people and injuring 26 at three construction sites, including one where a partially built high-rise collapsed. Another 47 people were still missing, authorities said Saturday. (AP)