By Feliz Solomon and Patrick Barta
BANGKOK—A series of earthquakes struck central Myanmar on Friday, rocking the war-torn country’s capital and second-largest city and shaking skyscrapers hundreds of miles away in neighboring Thailand.
A 7.7-magnitude quake struck in the early afternoon local time with an epicenter just west of Mandalay at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The initial temblor was followed by a 6.4-magnitude quake 11 minutes later as well as several smaller aftershocks, the USGS said.
Myanmar’s military junta declared a state of emergency in parts of the country, including the capital, Naypyitaw, and the second-largest city, Mandalay, state media reported. Streams of wounded sought treatment at Naypyitaw’s main hospital, which itself had been damaged in the quake.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” said a representative of a local charity who was helping out at the hospital. He said he saw some fatalities and many injuries but he was unable to provide an estimate.
Videos shared on social media showed residential buildings reduced to rubble, roads crumbled and a bridge that had collapsed into a river. Another showed panicked travelers crouching on the pavement outside Mandalay’s airport with idle planes behind them.
Okkar Kyaw, an aid worker with a Mandalay-based nonprofit, said first responders were still trying to locate and rescue people from the rubble of collapsed buildings. He said it can take four or five hours at each building. “Everyone in town has been affected,” he said.
“Some are still trapped inside, some have died and others are injured,” he added. “It is the worst situation.”
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