The death toll continues to rise after a deadly earthquake shook most of Myanmar and Thailand on Friday, with certain areas suffering the most damage in each country. Many people died as a result of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake, which also flattened buildings.
As of Sunday night, more than 1,700 people had been confirmed dead in Myanmar and the Greater Bangkok area, which bore the brunt of Thailand’s earthquake.
Myanmar also lost 139 people and injured 3,408 others. The death toll in the Bangkok area rose to 18 on Sunday, with 33 injured and 78 missing, according to officials.
Officials were still assessing the damage, so any overall estimate was incomplete. However, two days later, a more complete picture of the destruction has emerged. As efforts to search for debris continued, Myanmar requested emergency assistance from the international community.
Myanmar is located on the major north-south Sagaing Fault, which separates the India and Sunda plates, and the widespread damage spans the country’s central region. Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city with a population of 1.5 million, is near the earthquake’s epicenter.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a statement Sunday that critical infrastructure has been destroyed, including the historic Ava Bridge connecting Sagaing and Mandalay, Mandalay University, and various heritage sites.
So far, little information has been released from areas other than Mandalay and Naypitaw, and the Red Cross has stated that airports in both cities remain closed.
Significant damage has also been reported in the Sagaing, Naypyidaw, Magway, Bago, and Shan State regions, and telecommunications outages continue to impede emergency coordination in several areas, according to the Red Cross.
Following the earthquake, several countries sent aid to Myanmar, including teams from India, China, Singapore, and Thailand. The British Foreign Office told CBS News that the UK has pledged 10 million pounds, or about $12 million, to help deliver humanitarian aid to Myanmar’s people, with a focus on the most vulnerable areas. The British Foreign Office stated that relief efforts will primarily focus on food, water, medicine, and shelter.
International organizations are also mobilizing assistance. The Red Cross said it has asked for more than $100 million to assist earthquake victims. According to a statement from the humanitarian organization, the funds will be used to provide “relief and early recovery support” to 100,000 people across 20,000 households over the next 24 months.
In addition, the World Health Organization delivered nearly 3 tons of supplies from its emergency stockpile in Yangon, Myanmar, to hospitals in Mandalay and Naypyidaw, according to agency spokesperson Christian Lindmeier. Lindmeier explained that this was part of a larger effort to rush tents and trauma kits stocked with medical supplies to the two hardest hit cities.
