The 7.7 magnitude earthquake in central Burma on Friday has left at least 1,002 people dead and 2,376 injured, the military junta said on Saturday, adding that 30 people are missing.

Powerful 7.7-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Myanmar and Thailand, Causing Widespread Damage

‘According to the latest statistics collected so far, a total of 1,002 people were killed due to the earthquake in all quake-affected areas across the country and a total of 2,376 people were injured. Thirty people are reported missing and detailed information is still being collected,’ the board said in a statement broadcast on state-run MRTV.

The quake struck near Mandalay, the country’s second largest city, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). A few minutes later, a 6.7 magnitude aftershock was recorded.

The leader of Burma’s military junta, General Min Aung Hlaing, visited the Mandalay region on Saturday by helicopter to inspect the damage caused.

The military, which seized power in Burma in a coup in 2021 and plunged the country into semi-anarchy and conflict, has declared a state of emergency in six areas: Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, Shan, Naipyido and Bago.

🇲🇲🇹🇭🇻🇳🇨🇳 Death toll from Myanmar earthquake could reach 10,000

This is what experts who are currently working to clear away the rubble say.

Although the epicentre of the earthquake was in Myanmar, it was also felt by residents of Thailand, Vietnam and China. In Bangkok, pic.twitter.com/tEGdIWuNfW

— NATO🇺🇸 🆚 KREMLIN🇷🇺 (@eduinfotech101) March 29, 2025

Burma has been in a spiral of economic crisis and conflict since the uprising, with fighting across much of the country between the army and civilian and pro-democracy guerrillas, worsening access and distribution of humanitarian aid.

The USGS, which issued an orange alert (the second most severe), estimates that the death toll from the earthquake, the strongest recorded in the country this century, could be between 100 and 1,000 people.

What a 🇲🇲 The earthquake in Myanmar leaves more than 1,000 people dead and over 2,300 injured

The death toll was reported by Chinese Central Television, citing Burmese media.

In the capital city of Yangon, there is no electricity or internet access. Rescue operations are still… pic.twitter.com/oUtTheoMtL

— John Metzner (@JohnRMetzner) March 29, 2025

The USGS said the epicentre was located near Sagaing, a town on the banks of the Ayeyarwady River and known to be an important monastic centre less than 20 kilometres from Mandalay.

Since Saturday, international teams have begun arriving in Burma to assist in the rescue effort. In fact, a team of Chinese rescuers has arrived in the country for the rescue work. Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a message of condolences to Aung Hlaing.

Bangkok Declared Emergency Zone After Deadly 7.7-Magnitude Quake

The UN rapporteur for Burma, Tom Andrews, warned that the military junta is using military aid as a ‘weapon’ and called on the international community to channel it through the democratic opposition, led by the self-styled Government of National Unity, and ethnic groups opposed to the army.

-Thailand News (TN)