Myanmar and Thailand earthquake live: Over 1,000 deaths in Myanmar as dozens trapped under Bangkok skyscraper

Major General Zaw Min Tun, a spokesperson for the military junta, highlighted a critical shortage of blood in hospitals across regions affected by the recent earthquake.

The spokesperson noted that facilities in Mandalay, Sagaing, and Naypyidaw are particularly in need of blood supplies.

He urged blood donors to contact hospitals as soon as possible.

The call comes as medical teams continue to treat victims and manage the aftermath of the disaster.

The powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on Friday has caused extensive damage to historic buildings and infrastructure, particularly in Mandalay, Sagaing, and Naypyidaw.

In Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, the quake reportedly brought down multiple buildings, including the historic Ma Soe Yane monastery. The former royal palace, a symbol of Myanmar’s rich cultural heritage, also suffered damage, with videos and photos on social media showing parts of its structure affected.

In the Sagaing region, southwest of Mandalay, a 90-year-old bridge collapsed, cutting off a key transport link. Parts of the highway connecting Mandalay and Yangon were also damaged, raising concerns about disruptions to relief efforts.

In the capital Naypyidaw, the earthquake damaged religious shrines, causing parts of the structures to topple to the ground.

Myanmar’s military regime has set up a makeshift hospital and relief camp at Mandalay Airport after flight operations were impacted.

Operations at the airport remain suspended after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck with its epicentre near Mandalay city.

It is not known at what capacity it will run and how many people it can treat.

However, the country has started receiving aid from neighbouring countries.

Mandalay is Myanmar’s second-largest city and was the worst hit.

Almost 694 people of the 1,002 have died were in Mandalay.

A number of countries across Asia have rushed to send aid and relief materials to Myanmar, while several – including Malaysia, India, Russia and China – have dispatched teams of their own rescue workers.

Hong Kong said would send a rescue team to Myanmar. The city’s chief executive, John Lee, also extended his condolences to the earthquake victims in a Facebook post on Saturday.

Taiwan’s National Fire Agency said a rescue team of 120 people was on standby for possible deployment. The team included rescue personnel, doctors, nurses, a vet, six search-and-rescue dogs and 15 tons of equipment. However, Taiwan and Myanmar don’t have official ties. Most countries don’t recognise Chinese-claimed Taiwan as a country as Beijing prohibits other nations from having formal ties with Taipei.

China has now sent two teams of rescuers to Myanmar, with an additional rescue team of 82 people dispatched from Bejing. Emergency responders from the Chinese province of Yunnan, bordering Myanmar, have already arrived in the earthquake-stricken country.

Additionally, 16 members of the Chinese civil relief squad Blue Sky Rescue Team in the city of Ruili, Yunnan, departed to Muse City in northern Myanmar to help with relief efforts, according to state broadcaster CGTN.

Chinese authorities also sent a first batch of 80 tents and 290 blankets early Saturday.

New Zealand’s foreign minister Winston Peters wrote on X that his government would support relief efforts “via the International Red Cross Movement”.

“Our thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones, and to everyone else affected,” Mr Peters said on Saturday.

New Zealand’s foreign ministry said all embassy staff in Yangon and Bangkok were accounted for and no New Zealanders had been reported hurt or killed.

South Korea said it would provide $2m worth of humanitarian aid to Myanmar via international organisations.

Over 1,000 people have died as a result of the catastrophic earthquake.

Approximately 1,002 were killed in Myanmar, its ruling military junta said. A Thai government official said at least six people have also been found dead in its capital.

Thailand’s major airports are operational, inbound and outbound flights have largely not been disrupted.

Thailand’s airport group, Airports of Thailand (AOT) said on Friday, 28 March: “AOT has completed inspections of 6 airports, confirming that the structural integrity of their buildings and aviation infrastructure meets safety standards.

“All airports have resumed normal operations as of 2.30pm.”

The six airports include Suvarnabhumi Airport, Don Mueang Airport, Chiang Mai Airport, Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai Airport, Phuket Airport and Hat Yai Airport.

Flight tracking data from FlightRadar shows the majority of flights arriving at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok’s main airport, on time, with a handful of delays, and very few cancellations and diversions.

The 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck near Mandalay, Myanmar, on Friday was caused by a massive fault rupture, triggering intense ground shaking in densely populated areas, a leading seismologist has said.

Brian Baptie, a seismologist with the British Geological Survey, explained that a 200km (125 mile) section of the fault ruptured for just over a minute, with the ground slipping by up to 5 metres (16.4 feet) in some areas.

A fault rupture occurs when stress along a geological fault line builds up and is suddenly released, causing the ground to shift and triggering an earthquake.

The earthquake struck a region where many buildings are constructed with timber and unreinforced brick masonry, making them especially vulnerable to collapse.

“When you have a large earthquake in an area where there are over a million people, many of them living in vulnerable buildings, the consequences can often be disastrous,” Mr Baptie said.

“From initial reports, that seems likely to be the case here.”

An estimated 6.1 million people have been affected by the earthquake across Myanmar, with collapsed buildings, damaged infrastructure, and growing concerns over those in remote areas, said CARE, an international humanitarian agency.

The disaster came with 19.9 million people in Myanmar already in need of humanitarian aid due to the civil war, according to CARE Myanmar’s country director Arif Noor.

“The response remains significantly underfunded, and this disaster has only worsened an already fragile situation,” he said.

The charity, which also works in Bangkok, said it is the first time it experienced such a strong impact from an earthquake, and it is deeply concerning; especially for densely populated urban areas.

“We felt the tremors clearly in Bangkok, buildings shook for several minutes, and all office staff evacuated immediately,” it said.

Dr Komal Raj Aryal, a crisis and disaster management lecturer at Aston University, highlighted the risks for 5.3 million Burmese people in rural areas, particularly in Mandalay’s densely populated regions.

“The epicentre of this morning’s earthquake is in the country’s fourth-largest and densely-populated region, with a magnitude of 7.7 and a population density of 54 people per square km.

“My main concern is the scale of impact on the 5.3 million people living in rural areas of this geopolitically isolated country – particularly in the historically significant and densely populated former northern capital.

“Two major aftershocks have already happened there.”

The UK’s national partner of the United Nations Refugee Agency has launched an emergency appeal to support relief efforts, warning that urgent funding is needed to provide lifesaving aid.

“People who have already lost so much are now facing another disaster and more suffering,” said Mark Hopkinson, UK for UNHCR’s Fundraising Director.

“The need for support has never been more urgent.”

It said the earthquake has caused widespread destruction and worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis.

The earthquake’s tremors were also felt in Thailand, including in areas where over 80,000 refugees from Myanmar live in temporary shelters along the border.

Myanmar is home to 3.6 million internally displaced people, many of whom were already struggling due to ongoing conflict. The areas worst hit by the earthquake – central and northwest Myanmar – are home to 1.6 million displaced people, it said.

Six airports in Thailand, including those in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai, Chiang Rai and Phuket, have returned to normal operations after undergoing safety inspections.

The Airports of Thailand, the agency which manages 10 airports in the country, confirmed the structural integrity of buildings at those airports and found aviation infrastructure met safety standards.