Myanmar earthquake latest: Military make urgent plea with devastated quake-hit areas on alert for aftershocks

More than 150 have been confirmed dead in a powerful earthquake that struck Thailand and Myanmar this morning, destroying buildings, a bridge and a dam.

At least 144 people had been killed in Myanmar and 732 injured by the the 7.7 magnitude quake struck near Mandalay today, state-run MRTV said on the Telegram.

Preliminary reports confirmed at least eight people are dead in Bangkok, where a high-rise under construction collapsed, a Thai government official has confirmed.

The full extent of death, injury and destruction across the region is not immediately clear, with officials warning that thousands are feared dead.

'The death toll and injuries are expected to rise,' Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar's military government, said in a televised speech this evening.

The total number of fatalities is 'most likely to be in the range 10,000-100,000', scientists have warned, citing the United States Geological Survey 'PAGER' forecast.

• Read the full story by Natasha Anderson, Elena Salvoni and James Reynolds

Myanmar has already been embroiled in turmoil since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi three years ago, triggering widespread popular opposition.

Before the quake struck, the United Nations estimated that some 18.6 million people were in need of humanitarian aid, with hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced by internal fighting.

Nyi Nyi Kyaw, a Myanmar academic at the University of Bristol, said Myanmar was 'wholly unable to deal with the shock and its aftermath' due to the breakdown in civil society.

At least 144 people have died in Myanmar after the 7.7 magnitude earthquake which has been felt in neighbouring countries including Thailand and China.

Video footage shows terrified people in China running away as water pours onto the street from a high-rise pool.

'This earthquake could not come at a worse time for Myanmar,' Amnesty International’s Myanmar Researcher Joe Freeman said.

Around $52 million in USAID funding to Myanmar is estimated to have been cut since the beginning of the Trump administration.

'More than three million people remain internally displaced from armed conflict that has raged since the 2021 military coup. Over a third of the population will need humanitarian assistance this year.

At the same time, the impacts of US aid cuts on humanitarian services in the country are just starting to bite.'

Mandalay, Myanmar's ancient royal capital and the centre of its Buddhist heartland, has been rocked by the powerful earthquake.

Earlier a bridge collapsed into a river and rescue workers are continuing to search for people who are trapped in debris.

Workers were trying to reach dozens of monks trapped under rubble in the Phaya Taug Monastery, said one emergency worker in Amarapura.

Buildings, bridges and roads were wrecked, residents and local media said.

Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city, lies near to the earthquake's epicentre and has been devastated by the powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake.

A rescue worker from Amarapura, an ancient city and now a township of Mandalay, said the bodies of 30 people had been recovered from collapsed multi-story apartment blocks.

'I have never experienced anything like this before - our town looks like a collapsed city,' he said.

He estimated that about a fifth of the buildings had been destroyed.

'We received calls for help from people from the inside, but we cannot help because we do not have enough manpower and machines to remove the debris, but we will not stop working'.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said they are 'ready to move in' to Myanmar after the deadly earthquake.

The organisation had by coincidence surveyed the best way to send supplies into the Asian nation in recent weeks.

'We are ready to move in - but now we have to know exactly where, what and why. It’s information from the ground that’s really critical right now,' WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris said.

Even before a powerful 7.7-magnitude quake hit Myanmar on Friday, more than three million people in the country had been displaced, and hundreds of thousands were cut off from vital food and health programs as a result of a destructive four-year civil war that international groups claim has indiscriminately targeted civilians.

Information and movement throughout the country remain very tightly controlled, making it more difficult for any rescue efforts or even an assessment of the official death toll.

Here's a brief look at Myanmar:

• The basics

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, was already embroiled in turmoil since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb 1, 2021, triggering widespread popular opposition.

After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms. Large parts of the country are now entangled in conflict.

• Many displaced

Before the quake struck, the United Nations estimated that hundreds of thousands of civilians had been displaced by internal fighting, and there are now more than three million internally displaced people in Myanmar overall, with some 18.6 million people in need of humanitarian aid.

• Hunger fears

A recent statement by the World Food Program said that most food rations currently distributed in Myanmar will be cut off in April, even as the country faces a desperate humanitarian crisis. The WFP said it would need $60 million to continue food assistance in Myanmar and called on its partners to identify additional funding.

Rescuers have expressed fears it could take weeks before they learn the full extent of the earthquake destruction in Myanmar.

At the United Nations, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world body is mobilising to respond to Myanmar's appeal for international help.

But as images circulated of buckled and cracked roads, a collapsed bridge and a burst dam, there were concerns about how rescuers would even reach some areas in a country already enduring a humanitarian crisis.

'We fear it may be weeks before we understand the full extent of destruction caused by this earthquake,' said Mohammed Riyas, the International Rescue Committee's Myanmar director.

CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam has claimed the devastating Myanmar earthquake was triggered by a strike-slip fault — when two tectonic plates move side by side.

Van Dam claimed about 90 million people across southeast Asia would have felt at least minimal impact of the earthquake with further aftershocks expected.

He said:

The India and Eurasia plate actually moved side by side with each other, and that caused this intense shaking right at the surface.

We’re talking about violent to severe shaking for millions of people across Myanmar, several millions. We’re talking about near 90 million people felt at least light shaking from this.

Watch his report below:

British tourists and expats witnessed terrifying scenes in Bangkok earlier as buildings collapsed and people fled in fear of their lives in the Thai capital.

Here's a round-up of what they saw and had to say:

• Chris McNair, from West Sussex, was evacuated from a Bangkok condo he had been staying in for the past two months

We had to run away from the debris falling from our condo. My girlfriend got hit by a falling piece of stone. It was like a hailstorm of falling concrete and we wondered if the building would collapse.

• Alex MacGregor, a 36-year-old PR consultant originally from Inverness, has been living in the Thai capital for the last six months and was working from home when the tremors began.

It's a weird sensation, you're seeing a lot of things happen in slow motion around you... I actually went and sat down because I was feeling unsteady on my feet.

• Kevin Riley, from Essex, told the BBC he was out eating lunch in Chiang Mai when he felt the earthquake

I felt things moving and I thought they were moving the tables. I looked up and everything was moving. The news of [the earthquake in] Myanmar is a disaster but we are hundreds of miles away and felt its power.

• Mandy Tang, 38, from London, was in a cinema in Bangkok when she experienced the tremors from the powerful earthquake.

I looked around and none of the local audience left their seats. However, my Taiwanese friend insisted it's an earthquake, so I walked out of the theatre with her, and we met the security guards coming to evacuate us just outside the theatre. We could see the doors were opening and closing, all the chairs were shaking. Basically I'm tired and I'm trying to get back.It was quite nerve wracking, I've never experienced such a strong shake. It is quite scary.

• Tourist Paul Vincent was at a streetside bar when the quake struck and saw buildings swaying after he was evacuated

The next thing, everybody came on the street, so there was a lot of screaming and panicking, which obviously made it a lot worse. There was people crying in the streets and, you know, the panic was horrendous really.

Min Aung Hlaing arrives to meet earthquake survivors in Naypyidaw

The military chief leading Myanmar’s junta has tonight made a rare plea for international help for his country following the deaths of at least 144 people.

Min Aung Hlaing said the death toll is certain to rise in a televised address to the nation following the devastating earthquake which struck this afternoon.

He said:

I have personally visited some affected sites to assess the situation. I would like to call upon everyone to join hands and support the ongoing rescue missions

I have declared a state of emergency and requested international assistance. I would like to extend an open invitation to any organizations and nations willing to come and help the people in need within our country.

Red Cross teams have said they are responding to the crisis but face challenges accessing affected areas, with electricity and network lines down in Mandalay and Sagaing regions

Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand are tonight grieving as they come to terms with the powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.7 that caused extensive damage to buildings, roads and bridges and resulted in a major loss of life.

The earthquake is the biggest to hit Myanmar since 1946, according to experts.

Here are some key questions and answers to explain how and why it happened:

• How vulnerable is Myanmar to earthquakes?

Myanmar lies on the boundary between two tectonic plates and is one of the world's most seismically active countries, although large and destructive earthquakes have been relatively rare in the Sagaing region.

"The plate boundary between the India Plate and Eurasia Plate runs approximately north-south, cutting through the middle of the country," said Joanna Faure Walker, a professor and earthquake expert at University College London.

She said the plates move past each other horizontally at different speeds. While this causes "strike slip" quakes that are normally less powerful than those seen in "subduction zones" like Sumatra, where one plate slides under another, they can still reach magnitudes of 7 to 8.

• Why was today's quake so damaging?

Sagaing has been hit by several quakes in recent years, with a 6.8 magnitude event causing at least 26 deaths and dozens of injuries in late 2012.

But Friday's event was 'probably the biggest' to hit Myanmar's mainland in three quarters of a century, said Bill McGuire, another earthquake expert at UCL.

Roger Musson, honorary research fellow at the British Geological Survey, told Reuters that the shallow depth of the quake meant the damage would be more severe. The quake's epicentre was at a depth of just 10 km (6.2 miles), according to the United States Geological Survey.

'This is very damaging because it has occurred at a shallow depth, so the shockwaves are not dissipated as they go from the focus of the earthquake up to the surface. The buildings received the full force of the shaking.'

• How prepared was Mhyanmar?

The USGS Earthquake Hazards Program said on Friday that fatalities could be between 10,000 and 100,000 people, and the economic impact could be as high as 70% of Myanmar's GDP.

Musson said such forecasts are based on data from past earthquakes and on Myanmar's size, location and overall quake readiness.

The relative rarity of large seismic events in the Sagaing region - which is close to heavily populated Mandalay - means that infrastructure had not been built to withstand them. That means the damage could end up being far worse.

Musson said that the last major quake to hit the region was in 1956, and homes are unlikely to have been built to withstand seismic forces as powerful as those that hit on Friday.

At least nine people have died in Bangkok as a result of Friday's earthquake, an official told Reuters.

Like in neighbouring Myanmar, the official death toll is expected to rise in Thailand following extensive damage to buildings across the country.

Of the confirmed casualties in the Thai capital, eight died when a building under construction collapsed, while the ninth person died in a different location, said Bangkok's Deputy Governor Tavida Kamolvej.

Myanmar's junta chief has confirmed 144 people have been killed by the earthquake with the death toll expected to rise.

In an update provided at around 8pm local time, military leader Min Aung Hlaing said 96 people were killed in Nay Pyi Taw, 18 in Sagaing, and 30 in Kyaukse, for a total of 144 people.

In addition, he said 132 people were injured in Nay Pyi Taw, 300 in Sagaing, and 732 in Kyaukse.

In Thailand, three deaths have been confirmed so far but dozens are missing after buildings collapsed.

Whist the main earthquake destruction has taken place in Myanmar and Thailand, people in China have also felt its power.

In northeast China, the quake was felt in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces and caused damage to houses and injuries in the city of Ruili on the border with Myanmar, according to Chinese media reports.

Videos that one outlet said it had received from a person in Ruili showed building debris littering a street and a person being wheeled in a stretcher toward an ambulance.

The shaking in Mangshi, a Chinese city about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of Ruili, was so strong that people couldn't stand, one resident told The Paper, an online media outlet.

Earthquake victims receive treatment in Nay Pyi Taw

Myanmar's ruling junta on Friday called for donations of blood and medical supplies to help people hospitalised by a strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake that shook the country.

Zaw Min Tun, spokesperson of the military government, made the appeal for medical supplies in a late night news bulletin on state television, which called for blood donations due to 'so many' injuries in three urban centres.

It comes after the junta appealed for countries to provide humanitarian aid 'as soon as possible'.

The junta said in a statement that a state of emergency was in effect in six of the worst-affected areas: Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, northeastern Shan State, Naypyidaw, and Bago.

Pope Francis has sent his condolences to earthquake victims as he offered prayers for those who have died which it is feared could be thousands.

In a telegram published by the Vatican, Francis said he was 'deeply saddened by the loss of life and widespread devastation' caused by the earthquake in Myanmar.

It comes as the 88-year-old recovers at home from five weeks in hospital with life-threatening double pneumonia

The pontiff also sent a telegram to express his concern and prayers following South Korea's worst-ever wildfires

The picture taken by Alex near his home in Bangkok

A British expat in Bangkok has told how 'blood rushed to his head' as an earthquake shook his apartment building and forced him to evacuate his home.

Alex MacGregor, a 36-year-old PR consultant originally from Inverness, has been living in the Thai capital for the last six months and was working from home when the tremors began.

I was just waiting for the driver to come with my food and I look in the pool and noticed the water started to kind of lap at the edges... but then it started to get violent

All of a sudden I started feeling faint, like that kind of blood rushing to the head feeling, and I was like: 'Am I ill here, or what's going on?'

He continued:

Then I looked up the other condo, which is a really high skyscraper and I saw their pool water coming over the sides and that's when I knew it was an earthquake.

It's a weird sensation, you're seeing a lot of things happen in slow motion around you... I actually went and sat down because I was feeling unsteady on my feet.

Thailand's prime minister has said the situation in the country is 'starting to ease' and people can safely return indoors.

After a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar toppled a high-rise building in Bangkok, PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra urged people to seek open spaces and avoid lifts.

Now, the danger posed by the quake appears to have eased slightly.

'It is now safe for everyone to return to their accommodations,' she said in a statement.

'The buildings with issues are those under construction, where both structural integrity and wall stability are concerns.'

Shinawatra said that around 12 aftershocks have been felt since the quake but there is no risk of a tsunami as it occured far enough inland.

'We want to reassure the public that the aftershocks following this event will not pose a significant threat.

'Residents of high-rise buildings that sustained minor damage can safely return to their residences.'

People huddled on the ground at Mandalay Airport

Two airports in Myanmar are to close after runways were damaged by the earthquake, while an air traffic control tower at one of them has reportedly collapsed.

Local media are reporting Nay Pyi Taw International Airport has shut indefinitely after the tower collapsed killing five airport staff.

The runway was also said to have cracked following the powerful quakes .

Elsehwere, Mandalay Airport is expected to remain closed for around three months to allow repairs to its runway after it was also damaged by tremors.

A Boeing plane and one jet are said to be stranded at the airport.

A military source told the Yangon Times: 'The temporary closure is expected to last for three months. It could take longer if repairs are not completed. We haven’t heard anything from Yangon.'

Wailuwun Monastery in the Myanmar city of Taungoo has reportedly collapsed, killing five displaced children and a novice, according to local media.

Images circulated on social media appear to show the monastery reduced to a pile of rubble after two devastating earthquakes struck central Myanmar today.

The death toll remains foggy, with restricted media access and emergency services still on rescue missions.

A British tourist on holiday in Bangkok said she initially thought the tremors from an earthquake which struck the region were effects from the film she was watching.

Mandy Tang, 38, from London, was in a cinema in Bangkok on holiday when she experienced the tremors from the powerful earthquake.

She told the PA news agency:

I was watching a film called The Red Envelope. It happened to be quite an action-packed scene when the shake happened, so I initially thought it could have been Imax effect.

I looked around and none of the local audience left their seats. However, my Taiwanese friend insisted it's an earthquake, so I walked out of the theatre with her, and we met the security guards coming to evacuate us just outside the theatre. We could see the doors were opening and closing, all the chairs were shaking.

Ms Tang said she was trying to get a car back to her hotel, adding:

Basically I'm tired and I'm trying to get back.It was quite nerve wracking, I've never experienced such a strong shake. It is quite scary.

Rescue efforts are taking place across Myanmar and Thailand following a series of powerful earthquakes which have wreaked destruction in both countries.

Hotels, temples, homes and bridges have collapsed, roads have buckled and new fears of flooding have emerged as a result of damage to dams.

Here's the latest key information:

• The total number of deaths is expected to be thousands owing to the power and scale of Myanamr's 7.7-magnitude quake.
• Thailand's prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has urged the public to remain vigilant as she warns aftershocks could follow.
• All schools have been closed in Thailand while authorities assess the damage with locals describing the tremors as the strongest they have felt.
• Search and rescue efforts are under way in both countries including in Bangkok where 81 construction workers remain trapped following the collapse of an unfinished high-storey building
• Myanmar's junta chief has confirmed 144 people have been killed by the earthquake with the death toll expected to rise
• Amnesty International has called for Myanmar’s military junta to allow 'unimpeded access' to the country amid previous criticism aid has been blocked since the 2021 coup

We would like to speak to tourists, workers and residents impacted by earthquake in Thailand or Myanmar, so if you have been affected please email ayaat.yassin-kassab@mailonline.co.uk and jamie.bullen@mailonline.co.uk

Myanmar's shadow foreign minister Zin Mar Aung confirmed in a press conference that 12 people have been killed so far by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck the region today.

She warned that more casualties were likey to emerge near the quake's epicentre in Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city.

'It's very serious, we need humanitarian and technical assistance from the international community,' said Zin Mar Aung in a phone interview.

She said limited lines of communication are posing a major challenge, including internet restrictions imposed by the junta.

As the media struggles to access accurate death and casualty tolls in Myanmar, US experts have estimated that tens of thousands of people could have died from today's earthquakes.

Earlier today, the US Geological Survey said that thousands of people could be dead following the disaster, but it has now revised its estimate.

The US government agency said this morning that: 'The population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist'.

A witness in Shan State, close to the city of Mandalay, has spoken of the traumatic impact of natural disasters in combination with war terror.

The resident told the BBC: 'When the earthquake hit we were out in the open. I just don't have the words to say.'

She lives in a camp for internally displaced persons, of which there are roughly three million in Myanmar as a result of ongoing civil war.

She added: 'We are so afraid of natural disasters now on top of our various traumas through man-made disasters.

'We are just hearing the sirens everywhere, we don't know how big the impact is.'

Thai rescue teams continue to provide aid at a construction building collapse in Bangkok's Chatuchak area, as nightfall begins to set in

Thailand's prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has urged the public to remain vigilant as she warns aftershocks could follow Myanamr's 7.7-magnitude quake.

The PM has advised those living in high-rise buildings to avoid using lifts and seek open spaces.

'All relevant ministries have been activated,' she said.

'We urge the public to remain calm but vigilant. Schools have been dismissed early for the safety of students. Further updates will be provided as the situation unfolds.'

Experts say that aftershocks are common immediately after an earthquake - typically within the first two hours.

Although the aftershocks are normally less intense, data indicates a risk of another significant earthquake within the next 24 hours.

At least 20 people have died at one of Myanmar’s major hospitals in the capital of Naypyidaw, a doctor has said.

'About 20 people died after they arrived at our hospital so far. Many people were injured,' the doctor at the 1,000-bed hospital told AFP news agency.

Death tolls are emerging slowly from Myanmar, where access for journalists and aid workers is restricted amid a backdrop of civil war.

Images have just come in which show Thailand's prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra arriving at a construction site where a high-rise building collapsed in Bangkok.

Authorities say 81 people are trapped in the building.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has responded to the 'devastating' earthquakes in Myanmar and their effects in Thailand.

He urged all British nationals in both countries to follow government advice.

'Our thoughts are with those affected at this difficult time,' he wrote.

The UK Foreign Office today warned of 'several strong after-shocks' which could follow the quake.

'If you’re in the area or planning to travel there, follow the advice of the local authorities and monitor local media,' it said.

Monks in Mandalay captured the moment a building collapsed near their destroyed monastery.

Footage taken from a mobile phone appears to survey the damage done to a temple before it quickly pans to a building nearby which falls to the ground.

The video, which is circulating on social media, shows the shocked reaction of the monks as the dramatic incident unfolded.

The devastation caused by Myanmar's earthquake has also affected Bangkok's traffic, with rows of cars held at a standstill as emergency services respond.

An English teacher in Bangkok said she thought she was going to faint when she felt the earthquake in her school’s corridors.

Amy Clayton, 26, described feeling dizzy when the tremors hit.

She told the BBC she had been walking towards a colleague when they asked: 'Can you feel that?'

Seconds later, the fire alarms went off, and the school's principal told everyone to evacuate through the speaker system.

Children were crying with some going on to have panic attacks, she added.

'We were completely unprepared. We do all sorts of drills but never one for earthquakes.'

The video below, shared on X, shows water splashing in a swimming pool at the top of a condo, when earthquake tremors struck.

A Korean family were apparently viewing the property at the time.

'At first, I thought I was just dizzy,' the user wrote.

They are all now safe.

Firefighters in Myanmar are carrying out search and rescue operations across the country amid fears thousands of people have been killed by earthquakes.

The hunt for survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings is under way with members of the public also helping .

Amnesty International has called for Myanmar’s military junta to allow 'unimpeded access' to all humanitarian organisations.

The military seized power in a coup in 2021, prompting widespread opposition from the public and plunging the country into civil war.

The leading forces have repeatedly been accused of blocking critical aid to areas of activity for its political opponents.

Earlier, the junta made a rare request call for international aid.

Amnesty International researcher Joe Freeman has stressed the importance of allowing freely flowing aid.

'This earthquake could not come at a worse time for Myanmar. More than three million people remain internally displaced from armed conflict.

'Over a third of the population will need humanitarian assistance this year.'

Mr Freeman warned that central Myanmar, believed to be the epicentre of the earthquake, has been ravaged by military air strikes and clashes between resistance groups and the military.

'Myanmar’s military has a longstanding practice of denying aid to areas where groups who resist it are active,' he said

'It must immediately allow unimpeded access to all humanitarian organizations and remove administrative barriers delaying needs assessments.'

Pictured: Myanmar's military chief Min Aung Hlaing (centre) gestures as earthquake survivors gather in the compound of a hospital in Naypyidaw

Tourists in Thailand could not believe their eyes as a powerful earthquake shook their hotel, triggering huge waves in an infinity pool as swimmers clung on to the wall in an attempt to ride out the violent tremors.

A British man is heard shouting 'what the f**k' as the water swells around a swimmer and across the floor of the rooftop sundeck.

The people in the pool are in a dangerous position as the waves become increasingly violent, with sunbeds abandoned as terrified holidaymakers moved away from the edge.

More dramatic video shows a swimming pool atop a luxury apartment being shaken by the quake as a young family watches on in horror.

The family, said to be Korean tourists, take shelter indoors with their young child as huge waves slosh against the windows and over the ledge from the infinity pool.

Images show firefighters preparing for a rescue operation after two people were reported injured in southwest China's Yunnan province following the earthquake in Myanmar.

Footage shared on X shows rubble and toppled bricks at the site of a collapsed mosque in Myanmar.

The video was taken from outside the Shwe Phone Shein mosque in Mandalay, where fatalities were reported earlier in the day.

Muslims are currently observing Ramadan, with Eid - a celebration marking the holy month's end - in just two days.

And Fridays in particular are a day of congregational prayer, with Muslim communities gathering at worship sites.

Chaotic scenes have played out across Myanmar and Thailand after powerful earthquakes struck earlier today.

An international school teacher in the Thai capital of Bangkok has told of the confusion felt by his classroom when they had to evacuate following the earthquake in neighbouring Myanmar.

Stewart Beyer, a music teacher at Berkeley International School, told CNN how the gravity of the situation only became apparent after he was ordered to evacuate the school.

I looked up to see a guitar swinging on the wall. And then we go outside and [saw] the pool sloshing around.

Mr Beyer said some of his students are from Myanmar.

There were students that when we were waiting for their parents to come and get them that are breaking down, wondering what is happening to their family.

Pictured: Berkeley International School in Bangkok

Thailand has ordered the closure of schools nationwide while authorities assess the damage wrought by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake from neighboring Myanmar.

Deputy prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai (pictured below) said such a disaster has 'never happened in 100 years.'

'The Ministry of Education has ordered the closure of all schools nationwide, instructing students to return home,' he said.

People in high-rise buildings have been urged by Thai authorities 'to evacuate immediately' following the fatal collapse of a building in the capital Bangkok.

High-rise buildings are being inspected 'with the utmost caution,' said Wechayachai.

Hospitals have been urged to check for any structural damage.

The health and education ministries have coordinated relief efforts, and the defence ministry has established a command centre to keep government officials informed.

Rescue workers search for survivors in Bangkok

Workers in Bangkok have described today's earthquake as the 'strongest' they have ever experienced as shocks were felt across all areas of Thailand.

In Chiang Mai, a popular tourist destination in northern Thailand, stunned residents fled shops and homes when power supplies were cut out.

'I quickly rushed out of the shop along with other customers,' said Sai, 76, who was working at a minimart in Chiang Mai when the shop started to shake.

'This is the strongest tremor I've experienced in my life.'

Voranoot Thirawat, a Bangkok-based lawyer, said she heard her building creak moments after watching a light swinging back and forth

'In my lifetime, there was no earthquake like this in Bangkok,' she told the AP news agency.

Worapat Sukthai, deputy police chief of Bangkok's Bang Sue district, said he heard people calling 'help me' as rescuers surveyed the tangle of rubble and twisted metal for a safe way to search for survivors.

He said it was likely hundreds are injured. Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters at least three workers had been killed, with 81 more trapped inside.

Several ministry buildings have collapsed in Myanmar's capital city Naypyidaw, killing 'many employees', local media reports.

More than one government building, including the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Labor, collapsed in Naypyidaw following the earthquake in central Myanmar.

Many employees were killed, among them the Labor Secretary and some senior foreign officials, a military source in Nay Pyi Taw told Yangon Times.

Many others were injured due to the collapse of concrete blocks.

'Many of the dead were employees. Some officers were also killed. Many were injured,' said the source.

'The ministry offices also collapsed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs building was felled very badly. There is also some debris.'

Pictured above: Myanmar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs

More images are coming in from Myanmar's capital of split roads damaged by the quake.

A bridge near Mandalay International Airport reportedly collapsed while cars were being driven over it causing some to fall off, according to reports.

Local residents said the Duthawaddy Bridge which leads to the entrance to the airport buckled as a result of the earthquake earlier today.

One told the Yangon Times: 'It is known that cars driving on the bridge have fallen. It is not yet confirmed if there are any injuries.'

Video has emerged on social media of a bridge collapsing in Myanmar's seconfd largest city situated close to the epicentre of the initial 7.7 magnitude earthquake.

Buildings and public infrastructure have been damaged and collapsed as a result of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar, with concerns for state of large scale dams, the Red Cross said.

'Public infrastructure has been damaged including roads, bridges and public buildings.

'We currently have concerns for large scale dams that people are watching to see the conditions of them', Marie Manrique of the Red Cross said via video link from Yangon.

'We anticipate the impact to be quite large.'

It comes as local media reports the Paunglaung Dam in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw was damaged by the earthquake, caused cracks in its earthen walls.

Pictured: The Paunglaung Dam (from RCC Dams and the Global Energy Association)

Myanmar National Airlines has cancelled some flights following the devastating impact of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck the country today, the airline has said on its Facebook page.

The airline wrote: 'We deeply regret the inconvenience caused by the recent earthquake,which has affected your travel plans.

'Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by this difficult situation.'

The Paunglaung Dam in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw was damaged by the earthquake, local media reports.

The powerful earthquake centered in Sagaing Region caused damage to the dam's walls, which are reportedly cracked and damaged.

There are reports that water has started to flow from the dam, but Myanmar newspaper Yangon Times has not been able to confirm this.

'Water has started to be released from the Paunglaung Dam into the Sittaung River, and the water level in the Sittaung River may rise,' said an official from the Sittaung Urban Guerrilla Group.

The relevant authorities are advising that the cities along the Paunglaung Dam and the Sittaung River, including the capital, Pyay Mana, Ye Ni, Ye Tar Shay, Taungoo and Bago, need to be aware of a potential flood situation.

Pictured: Paunglaung Dam

Thailand’s defence minister says 90 people are missing and three are confirmed dead at the site where a high-rise building under construction collapsed when Myanmar's earthquake hit the capital.

Phumtham Wechayachai gave no further information about the rescue efforts.

First responders have reported that seven people had been rescued so far from outside the collapsed building.

Local media in Myanmar is reporting the earthquakes have caused the air traffic control tower at Nay Pyi Taw airport in Myanmar to collapse, killing all staff on duty.

A military source in Nay Pyi Taw told the Yangon Times that the quake caused extensive damage throughout Nay Pyi Taw and there have been reports of fatalities.

However, it is difficult to get an exact count.

Myanmar-based news agency Khit Thit Media has also reported the tower's collapse.

Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw airports are now believed to be shut.

Three people been confirmed dead in Thailand's capital after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck in neighbouring Myanmar, Bangkok’s governor has said.

Chadchart Sittipunt warned that aftershocks are still possible but urged people to remain calm, adding the situation was under control.

More than 160 calls have been made to authroities about damage to buildings in Bangkok, he said.

And urban rail systems in Bangkok are temporarily closed but expected to resume services on Saturday.

Above: Governor Chadchart Sittipunt (centre) pictured in 2024

Fire has broken out Mandalay University where the earthquake has caused significant disruption across the city.

The university, which specialises in science degrees, is the second oldest in the country.

Images shared on social media show the collpased Aungban Hotel in the northeastern Shan State in Myanmar.

Another grab shows a destroyed building in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Powerful earthquakes have caused widespread destruction across Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand today amid fears thousands could be killed as buildings collapsed with people still trapped inside.

Terrified crowds fled shopping malls in Bangkok while roads have buckled in Naypyidaw, close to the epicentre of the 7.7 magnitude quake.

Here's what you need to know:

• The Myanmar junta has declared six states of emergencies across the country after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake was recorded and soon followed up with a second quake measuring 6.4.
• Officials are yet to confirm the number of fatalities but experts say thousands of deaths in Myanmar are likely given the scale of the earthquakes.
• Local media has reported at least ten people were killed when a mosque in Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city, collapsed during Friday prayers.
• In Bangkok, it is reported dozens of construction workers are missing after the earthquake caused an unfinished 30-storey building to collapse
• Thai officials say the earthquake was felt in all regions of the country while tremors also impacted people in China with roads even buckling in Myanmar.
• Earthquakes are relatively common in Myanmar, where six strong quakes of 7.0 magnitude or more struck between 1930 and 1956 near the Sagaing Fault, which runs north to south through the centre of the country, according to the USGS

The Red Cross has reported that its teams are trying to respond to 'significant damage' in Myanmar but are facing challenges due to a lack of power in the affected areas.

The humanitarian charity said electricity and network lines are down in the Mandalay and Sagaing areas, the BBC reported.

But the Red Cross says it's continuing to gather information on 'humanitarian needs' and what aid is required following the devastating disaster.

Myanmar's earthquake was felt in in China and caused injuries and damage to houses, according to Chinese media reports.

Strong tremors were felt in the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces and caused damage to houses in the city of Ruili on the border with northern Myanma

Videos reportedly from a person in Ruili showed building debris littering a street and a person being wheeled on a stretcher toward an ambulance.

The shaking in Mangshi, a Chinese city about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of Ruili, was so strong that people couldn't stand, one resident told The Paper, an online media outlet.

Pictured above: Rescuers work at the site of the quake-affected area in Ruili, Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province of China and a quake-damaged building in the region

Tourists in Bangkok have told how they saw people crying in the streets and 'horrendous' panic as the earthquake in Myanmar caused powerful shockwaves across Thailand including its capital.

Paul Vincent (pictured), a tourist visiting from England, was at a streetside bar when the quake struck.

The next thing, everybody came on the street, so there was a lot of screaming and panicking, which obviously made it a lot worse.

As he came onto the street himself, he said he saw a high-rise building swaying and water was falling from a rooftop pool.

When I saw the building, oh my God, that's when ... it hit me. There was people crying in the streets and, you know, the panic was horrendous really.

Medical workers are scrambling to transport injured people to a Naypyidaw hospital in Myanmar's capital.

Images show hospitals overflowing with many of those affected waiting in outdoor compunds before they can receive medical assistance.

'Hundreds of injured people are arriving but the emergency building here also collapsed,' security officials at the hospital in Naypyidaw told AFP.

Some have arrived in cars, others in pickups, and others carried on stretchers, their bodies bloody and covered in dust.

Below are just a few of the images depicting the chaos and panic in Myanmar following the large-scale earthquake.

Myanmar's ruling junta has made a rare request for foreign humanitarian aid after a state of emergency was declared across six regions.

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing arrived at a hospital in Naypyidaw where injured people were reciving treatment following the 7.7-magnitude earthquake.

An emergency situation was declared in Sagaing, Mandalay, Bago and Magway regions as well as eastern Shan state.

Large sections of the country remain of out of the junta's control as it battles insurgency fighters after seixing power in a 2021 coup.

These pictures illustrate the anguish and devastation of people after a powerful earthquake in Myanmar resulted in the collapse of buildings in neighbouring Thailand.

City authorities have now decalred Bangkok a disaster area following the high magnitude earthquake in neighbouring country of Myanmar, Bangkok city hall said.

The Bangkok governor has been ut in charge of navigating the disaster response, it said.

Pictured: People sit in front of a shop after a strong earthquake struck central Myanmar on Friday

Pictured: The debris of a construction site is pictured after a building collapsed in Bangkok

Pictured: Police stand next to the debris of a construction site after a building collapsed in Bangkok following an earthquake

Rescuers stand near a collapsed building in Bangkok

We're hearing reports two people have been killed and seven rescued after a building collapse in Bangkok.

It comes as Thailand's capital is declared a disaster area following a strong earthquake in neighboring Myanmar, Bangkok city hall said.

The Bangkok governor, Chadchart Sittipunt, has been placed in charge of coordinating the disaster response, it said

These pictures show how a hospital emergency department was damaged by the earthquake as scores of wounded casualties are treated outside.

Survivors are gathering in the compound of a hospital in Naypyidaw where some are receiving treatment to their injuries.

Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention has said the quake in Myanmar was felt in almost all regions of the country.

The epicenter of the earthquake was in central Myanmar, roughly 30 miles east of the city of Monywa.

In the capital Naypyitaw, the quake toppled religious shrines and some homes.

After an urgent meeting, the Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said she ordered the environmental ministry to predict the effects of the earthquake and prevent any aftershocks.

Pictured below: The Thai PM addresses the media, while standing next to her cabinet, after a weekly cabinet meeting at the Government House in Bangkok

Forty-three construction workers are missing after the 7.7-magnitude Myanmar earthquake felled an unfinished 30-storey building in Bangkok, Thai authorities say.

Fifty people were inside the Chatuchak Park building, which is hundreds of miles from the earthquake's epicentre in Myanmar.

The number of missing people has been reported at 43, while seven others escaped.

'When I arrived to inspect the site, I heard people calling for help, saying help me,' Worapat Sukthai, deputy police chief of Bang Sue district, told AFP news agency.

The building was intended as government offices.

The military junta that has ruled Myanmar since a coup was orchestrated in 2021 have declared a state of emergency across six regions of the country in response to the earthquake.

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has reportedly arrived at a hospital in Naypyidaw which has apparently been designated a 'mass casualty area' aid growing fears of a major loss of life.

One official at the hospital told the AFP news agency that rows of wounded people were being treated outside the emergency department of the 1,000-bed general hospital with some writhing in pain.

The junta has made access to information difficult with all radio, television as well as print and online media controlled by the state while internet use is also restricted.

Just 12 minutes after the first earthquake hit Myanmar, another one struck, according to the US Geological Survey.

The second earthquake had a magnitude of 6.4, which is less than the earlier one of 7.7.

The epicentre was 18km (11.1 miles) south of Sagaing.

The US Geological Survey has written on its website that thousands of deaths in Myanmar are likely, given the apparent scale of the earthquake.

It wrote: 'High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread.'

It has issued a red alert, listing the affected countries as Bangladesh, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and China.

The 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar at around 1.30pm local time (6:30am UK time).

It was soon followed up with a powerful aftershock measuring 6.4 magnitude .

The epicentre was located 16km (10 miles) north-west of the city of Sagaing at a depth of 10km and is close to the country's second largest city Mandalay.

Strong tremors extended into Thailand and Yunnan in south-west China, with videos on social media showing damage to buildings in Bangkok.

Earthquakes are relatively common in Myanmar, where six strong quakes of 7.0 magnitude or more struck between 1930 and 1956 near the Sagaing Fault, which runs north to south through the centre of the country, according to the USGS.

At least ten people were killed when the earthquake struck Shwe Phone Shein mosque during prayers today, recsue workers told local media.

The mosque is said to have collapsed during worship and people are believed to be trapped.

The death toll could be much higher, a rescue worker helping with the mosque collapse said.

The news was reported by Myanamar-based news agency Khit Thit Media and the Yangon Times newspaper, as well as smaller media outlets.

The reports are as yet unconfirmed.

Passengers in Myanmar's Mandalay Airport bent down to the ground to shield themselves from the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that steruck near the city, social media videos show.

Videos shared online show dozens of panicked passengers evacuating as airport alarm bells ring loudly following the natural disaster.

See the footage below:

Myanmar's second largest city and former royal capital Mandalay has seen extensive damage owing to its proximity to the earthquake's epicentre.

It has damaged part of the former royal palace and buildings, according to videos and photos released on Facebook social media.

While the area is prone to earthquakes, it is generally sparsely populated, and most houses are low-rise structures.

In the Sagaing region just southwest of Mandalay, a 90-year-old bridge collapsed, and some sections of the highway connecting Mandalay and Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, were also damaged.

Residents in Yangon rushed out of their homes when the quake struck. There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.

In the capital Naypyitaw, the quake damaged religious shrines, sending parts toppling to the ground, and some homes.

A British tourist has told how he saw a Thai shopping mall moving after people fled in panic when the earthquake struck.

'All of a sudden the whole building began to move, immediately there was screaming and a lot of panic,' said Fraser Morton, a tourist from Scotland, who was in one of Bangkok's many malls shopping for camera equipment.

I just started walking calmly at first but then the building started really moving, yeah, a lot of screaming, a lot of panic, people running the wrong way down the escalators, lots of banging and crashing inside the mall.

Like thousands of others in downtown Bangkok, Morton sought refuge in Benjasiri Park - away from the tall buildings all around.

He added:

I got outside and then looked up at the building and the whole building was moving, dust and debris, it was pretty intense. Lots of chaos.

Thailand's Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, has reportedly declared a state of emergency in Bangkok following the earthquake.

It comes following an emergency meeting was held to assess the initial damage.

Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention said the earthquake was felt in almost all regions of the country.

According to local reports, at least 43 workers are trapped in one Bangkok skyscraper.

These pictures illustrate the scale of the damage caused by the earthquake with buildings completely destroyed in both Myanmar and Thailand.

Here are just a few images from both countries.

A damaged monastery is seen in Myanmar

Rescuers work at the site of a collapsed building in Bangkok

Damaged pagodas are pictured in Myanmar

Motorists pick up pieces of a damaged road in Naypyidaw, central Myanmar

Thailand's capital Bangkok has been shaken by the earthquake with high-rise buildings swaying, while one apartment block has collapsed.

The greater Bangkok area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments.

Shocking video has shown the moment workers fled as a building under construction collapsed as it was shaken by the force of the quake.

Bangkok police confirmed that a high-rise building under construction had collapsed and said the number of possible casualties was not yet known.

Alarms went off in buildings as the earthquake hit around 1.30pm local time, and startled residents were evacuated down staircases of high-rise buildings and hotels in densely populated central Bangkok.

They remained in the streets, seeking shade from the midday sun in the minutes after the quake.

Hello and welcome to MailOnline's live coverage as a strong earthquake rocks Myanmar.

Buildings have collapsed, roads have buckled and people have fled in terror with tremors felt in neighbouring Thailand and China.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake was of 7.7 magnitude and at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). It was followed by a powerful aftershock.

The epicentre was about 17.2 km from the city of Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest, which has a population of about 1.5 million.

Stick with us as we bring you live updates on this breaking news story.