According to the latest data, at least three people have died in the Thai capital and more than 80 are missing after a strong earthquake that struck today. Twenty people are trapped in an elevator shaft of a collapsed building in Bangkok, the New York Times reported, citing local authorities, and their fate is unknown.
According to various sources, the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.7 to 8.2 on the Richter scale. It was followed by a second earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4. Thailand was also affected by the disaster, and tremors were felt in China and Vietnam. The earthquake caused casualties and damaged residential buildings and infrastructure.
In Bangkok, evacuations were announced for residents of high-rise buildings. The earthquake caused serious damage to road infrastructure in various parts of the country, the Myanmar newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar reported. According to the media, the earthquake destroyed two bridges and damaged a highway.
The authorities in Myanmar declared a state of emergency in the six most affected districts and appealed to the international community for help. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the agency was collecting information on the consequences of the earthquake, as well as on the humanitarian needs of Myanmar.
The emergency department of the 1,000-bed central hospital in the capital Naypyidaw is reportedly clogged with long lines of people with injuries. The hospital continues to receive a stream of injured people, covered in blood and dust. They are forced to lie on the ground due to lack of space in the wards, Agence France-Presse reported.
A doctor said that he had “never seen anything like this“ and the hospital staff “are trying to deal with the situation“.