Photos Show Devastating Impact of Powerful Earthquake That Rocked Myanmar and Thailand

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake shook Southeast Asia on Friday, causing widespread damage as it hit Myanmar with an epicenter near Mandalay, Myanmar ‘s second largest city, with tremors felt strongly across Thailand and also in China.

The earthquake, which ruptured along the Sagaing Fault, was followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock, and caused widespread damage.

A 33-story building under construction near the popular Chatuchak market in Bangkok, Thailand’s capital city, collapsed. Footage of the building’s demise shows crowds of onlookers running away from the rubble in panic. The New York Times has since reported seven fatalities in relation to the high-rise collapse.

The earthquake’s overall death toll, per the Associated Press, falls in the region of at least 150 people, with an estimated 144 fatalities and 730 people injured in Myanmar alone. In a televised report, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing reportedly said the death toll, and the number of logged injuries, is “expected to rise.” In an update posted Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which tracks seismic activity, predicted that the death toll will exceed 1,000 people. “High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” the notice read.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International’s Myanmar researcher Joe Freeman said in a statement that the earthquake “could not come at a worse time” for the country as it still reels from the 2021 military coup and subsequent displacement of masses in a civil war.

Per reports of the local televised speech, Myanmar’s ruling military junta has declared a state of emergency in several regions affected by the earthquake and called for humanitarian aid, a rare show of international appeal.

You can see the damage inflicted by the devastating earthquake in the images below.