The earthquake that struck Myanmar had an epicentre near Mandalay, the country’s second biggest city, sending buildings in many areas toppling to the ground and causing widespread damage
The Government has pledged up to £10 million in “life-saving aid” to Myanmar after a deadly earthquake claimed more than 1,000 lives.
The package is to support the humanitarian response “in the hardest hit areas of the earthquake”, with a focus on food and water supplies, medicine and shelter, the Foreign Office said.
More than 1,000 people died and 2,376 others were injured after a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar at midday local time on Friday, according to the country’s military-led government. Baroness Jennifer Chapman, minister of state for development, said: “The UK is sending immediate and life-saving support to the people of Myanmar following the devastating earthquake. UK-funded local partners are already mobilising a humanitarian response on the ground, and this £10 million package will bolster their efforts.
The earthquake that struck Myanmar had an epicentre near Mandalay, the country’s second biggest city, sending buildings in many areas toppling to the ground and causing widespread damage. The earthquake also shook neighbouring Thailand, killing six people and injuring 26 at three construction sites, including one where a partially built high-rise collapsed in Bangkok.
The Foreign Office added it is continuing to offer support to British nationals in both Myanmar and Thailand. The United Nations Children’s Fund said its ground teams were preparing humanitarian support following the earthquake that hit Myanmar and rocked neighbouring Thailand.
In a post on X on Friday, UNICEF said, “UNICEF is deeply concerned about the devastating impact of today’s earthquake in Myanmar on children and families,” also mentioning damage in Thailand. The agency said its teams on the ground were assessing the impact caused by the earthquake and preparing humanitarian support.
As many as 10 people died, 16 people were injured, and 101 others were missing at three construction sites in Bangkok, including the collapse of a 30-storey government building, according to Bangkok Deputy Governor Tavida Kamolvej, Bangkok Post reported.
Pasakorn Boonyalak, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said the earthquake caused damage in Bangkok and 10 other provinces, including Chiang Rai, Phrae, Mae Hong Son, Lampang, Chai Nat, Lamphun, Loei, Samut Sakhon, Chiang Mai, and Kamphaeng Phet. Thailand’s Meteorological Department said on Saturday that two additional earthquakes were detected in Mae Hong Son. The earthquake of magnitude 4.1 on the Richter Scale occurred at a depth of five kilometers, in Pai district at 11:21 pm (local time), followed by a magnitude 2.0 quake at 3:24 am (local time), also in Pai.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has called for calm from the public as officials warn of possible aftershocks following an earthquake in Myanmar that shook many parts of the country, including Bangkok, on Friday, Bangkok Post reported. Speaking after an urgent meeting in Phuket, Paetongtarn urged people to keep themselves updated with information from all relevant agencies, only to avoid misinformation and panic. She further said that state-owned broadcaster NBT has been designated as the network for official verified updates, Bangkok Post reported. She was heading back to Bangkok on Friday to continue monitoring and overseeing the government response to the quake. The government has not yet assessed the damage from the tremor that struck several buildings in the northern, northeastern and central regions of Thailand.
