Death toll in Myanmar earthquake nears 700, with hundreds more injured

Bangkok — The death toll from a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar jumped to nearly 700 on Saturday as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of the scores of buildings that collapsed when it struck near the country’s second-largest city.

State-run television MRTV reported that 694 people have now been found dead and another 1,670 injured, with 68 others missing, according to a statement from the military-led government. The same figures were also reported by the independent news site The Irrawaddy. 

Myanmar is in the throes of a prolonged and bloody civil war, which is already responsible for a massive humanitarian crisis. It makes movement around the country both difficult and dangerous, complicating relief efforts and raising fears that the death toll could still rise precipitously.

The earthquake struck midday Friday with an epicenter not far from Mandalay, followed by several aftershocks including one measuring a strong 6.4 magnitude. It sent buildings in many areas toppling to the ground, buckled roads, caused bridges to collapse and burst a dam.

The head of Myanmar’s military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, said in a rare television broadcast Friday that the death toll was expected to rise as he reported an initial 144 people found dead.

In neighboring Thailand, the quake rocked the greater Bangkok area, home to some 17 million people — many of whom live in high-rise buildings — and other parts of the country.

Bangkok city authorities said so far six people have been found dead, 26 injured and 47 are still missing, most from a construction site near the capital’s popular Chatuchak market.

When the quake hit, the 33-story high-rise being built by a Chinese firm for the Thai government wobbled, then came crashing to the ground in a massive plume of dust that sent people screaming and fleeing from the scene.  

President Trump on Friday vowed the United States would assist Myanmar after a…