Myanmar Earthquake Kills 1,600, Hundreds Trapped
It’s been over 24 hours since an earthquake hit Myanmar so severely it caused a high-rise under construction 1,000km (621 miles) away in Bangkok to collapse.
So far we know that 1,644 people have been killed in Myanmar, the country’s internationally-sanctioned military government said earlier on Saturday. In addition to this, 3,408 people are missing and 139 are missing.
In Bangkok, the latest official figures say that 11 people have died, 32 are injured and 83 missing, but Fire and Rescue Thailand have posted on Facebook saying another body has been recovered from the collapsed building in the capital.
As the search for survivors continues for a second night in both countries, friends and relatives are waiting anxiously for news of their loved ones, perhaps given a faint glimmer of hope after a woman was pulled from rubble in Mandalay after 30 hours.
But as rescue efforts continued in Myanmar, so did the violence. Air strikes by the military were reported in areas declared states of emergency.
The National Unity Government of Myanmar has announced that the People’s Defence Force (PDF) will implement a two-week pause in offensive military operations, except for defensive actions, in earthquake-affected areas starting tomorrow.
We’re going to pause our live coverage now but our colleagues in Singapore will be resuming when the sun rises over Thailand and Myanmar.