Myanmar Earthquake Claims 144 Lives, 730 Injured, Many Still Under Rubble

By Akinwale Kasali

Myanmar has been thrown Into mourning and  devastation following the death of, 144 persons  and more than 730 were injured in a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on Friday. It was the worst in about 80 years.

This was disclosed by the Head of the Country’s Military Government.

A strong aftershock of 6.4 magnitude also hit Myanmar, with tremors felt across Thailand and China.

According to the Military Government officials, the quake triggered the collapse of buildings hundreds of miles away in Thailand.

At least three people have died in the nation’s capital, and authorities are racing to free 81 people believed to be trapped under the rubble of an under-construction high-rise in the city, officials said.

The earthquake prompted tsunami alert in Myanmar, one of Asia’s poorest nations, reeling from a civil war sparked by a 2021 military coup.

Weak infrastructure makes it ill-equipped to deal with major natural disasters.

Swathes of the country are run by a patchwork of militias, making it extremely difficult to gather reliable information. The military also regularly cuts communications in conflict zones.