(VOVWORLD) -A strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck early afternoon in the Mandalay region, central Myanmar on Friday, killing more than 1,000 people, with nearly 2,380 injured and 30 missing.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimated the death toll could exceed 10,000 people in Myanmar.
Many apartments, hospitals, schools and government office buildings have been damaged to varying degrees. Some school buildings collapsed and an unspecified number of students were buried.
Myanmar’s military government Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing has visited several disaster sites and called for international aid on Friday to help deal with the aftermath of the quake.
In Thai capital Bangkok, which was also affected by the quake in Myanmar, rescue teams worked through the night searching for survivors trapped when a 30-storey skyscraper under construction collapsed. At least five people are dead and 117 missing, the rescuers said.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra visited the site of the collapsed building and announced that the situation has begun to stabilize. “It is now safe for everyone to return to their accommodations,” she added. Around 12 aftershocks have been felt since the quake, Prime Minister Shinawatra said, but there is no risk of a tsunami because the quake occurred far enough inland.
As of Saturday morning, BTS Skytrain, MRT subway, as well as shopping malls in Bangkok have resumed normal service.