Southeast Asia has been hit by two devastating events. A powerful earthquake that struck Myanmar left a path of destruction and death, while in Thailand, rescuers are scrambling to locate survivors following a Bangkok building collapse.
As the death toll continues to rise, it is estimated that the 7.7-magnitude quake in Myanmar on Friday was the strongest to hit the area in over a century.
According to the State Administration Council’s information team, there are more than 800 dead and over 2,000 injured people. 68 persons remain missing.
Rescuers in Bangkok are searching desperately for survivors following the collapse of a building.
According to authorities, 10 deaths have been reported, as well as 16 injuries, while approximately 100 people are still missing, across the three construction sites, which includes the high-rise building of 30 stories, in the city.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt believes that more than 80 trapped people were found at the location of the building.
According to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, the Thai government declared that the earthquake was a major disaster of level 3, and it is currently coordinating relief and rescue operations in accordance.
As of 6 am Bangkok time on Monday, the Thai Meteorological Department had reported 77 minor aftershocks. However none were felt strongly in Thailand.
Bangkok authorities ordered safety audits for public and government building. A group of civil engineering experts will inspect and classify damages according to severity.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra pledged financial assistance to the affected and government support.
She stated, following a Saturday meeting that “the situation” is now safe and advised tall building residents to consult their building’s management about infrastructure safety.
Ratwithi Hospital was ordered to stop operations after the earthquake.
In the Thai capital, 11 temporary shelters were opened to house those who had been displaced due to the natural disaster.
According to PPTV, some rail services provided by Bangkok Expressway Metro and Bangkok Expressway will be closed Saturday for safety reasons.
The Thailand Stock and Futures Exchanges suspended trading Friday as a result of the evacuations caused by earthquake. Uncertain is whether trading will resume Tuesday.
Although Thailand is an important manufacturing center, Samsung Electronics Co. has reported that their operations have not been disrupted.
Siam Piwat has announced that the buildings of its shopping centers in Bangkok’s downtown are structurally sound. They will resume their operations this Saturday.
The post Myanmar’s earthquake deaths soar; Thai rescuers look for trapped dozens in Bangkok collapse could be updated as new information becomes available
