Hundreds have been killed in Myanmar earthquake; Trump pledges to help

A series of earthquakes rocked central Myanmar on Friday, killing scores of people, causing widespread destruction in some of the war-torn country’s biggest cities and shaking skyscrapers hundreds of miles away in neighboring Thailand.

The first earthquake was 7.7 magnitude, and struck in the early afternoon local time with a depth of 10 kilometers. Even Bangkok, some 600 miles away from the epicenter in Mandalay, Myanmar, the country’s second-largest city, felt widespread shaking and saw significant damage from the quake — including the total collapse of a skyscraper under construction.

Casualties are expected to rise as search and rescue efforts are underway in collapsed buildings in Myanmar to Thailand, officials said. At least 144 people have died in Myanmar, according to the first official death toll released by the military government. More than 730 were injured, it said.

In Bangkok, Thailand, at least eight people are dead and nine injured when a high-rise that was under construction collapsed, according to the Royal Thai Police. More than 100 people still missing as crews search for trapped workers, police said.

Myanmar is already reeling from four years of civil war sparked by a bloody and economically destructive military coup, which has seen junta forces battle rebel groups across the country.

This earthquake just adds to the long list of challenges the country faces. Poor communications and damaged roads are making the recovery effort more difficult. The earthquake is the strongest one that Myanmar has experienced since 1912, according to the United States Geological Survey.

President Donald Trump has pledged to help Myanmar in the wake of the earthquake. “It’s terrible what happened,” Mr Trump said when asked about the events by reporters.