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Over 150 dead in Myanmar and Thailand after huge earthquake
A huge 7.7 magnitude earthquake has hit central Myanmar, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
At least 144 people have died and 732 have been injured so far in the country, Myanmar military leader Min Aung Hlaing said.
The epicentre was 16km (10 miles) north-west of the city of Sagaing, sending strong tremors that were felt as far as south-west China and Thailand.
Meanwhile, around 100 construction workers are missing after an unfinished high-rise building collapsed hundreds of miles away in Bangkok, according to Thailand’s deputy prime minister.
At least seven people have died at the site in Thailand, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
A rescuer in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, told the BBC the damage is “enormous”.
The total number of people killed and injured by the earthquake are expected to rise in the coming days.
There have been reports of roads buckling in the capital of Nay Pyi Taw, and the country’s military government has declared a state of emergency in six regions.
The earthquake struck near Mandalay, which has a population of about 1.5 million people.
A second quake struck 12 minutes after the first, according to the USGS, with a magnitude of 6.4 and its epicentre was 18km (11.1 miles) south of Sagaing.
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, gained independence from Britain in 1948, but its recent history has been marked by unrest and conflict.
The military seized power in 2021, ten years after agreeing to hand over control to a civilian government. Since then, the junta has cracked down hard on dissent, executing democracy activists and jailing journalists. The state controls almost all local radio, television, print and online media, and Internet use is restricted in the country, which often makes access to information difficult.
According to a recent BBC data project, the country is now controlled by a patchwork of groups, making relief and recovery efforts more challenging.
It is even harder to find accurate information about what is going on in rebel-held areas of the country.
The junta made a rare call for international assistance in the wake of the earthquake.
However, the complex situation on the ground is likely to hamper search and rescue operations as well as the free flow of aid into the country.
Rescue workers operating in villages near Mandalay have told the BBC they do not have access to the heavy machinery needed to reach people trapped under the rubble. “We’re digging people out with our bare hands,” one man said.
The earthquake has added pressure to an already dire humanitarian situation in the country, where 3.5m people are estimated to have been displaced by fighting.
The Sagaing region, near the epicentre of the quake, is a volatile key battleground in the civil war.
Charities and opposition parties working in the country have raised concerns about the “politicisation” of aid in the coming days.
Montse Ferrer, the deputy director of East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific at Amnesty International, told the BBC the junta has “a history of denying aid” to areas where resistance forces are active.
The tremors were felt hundreds of miles away in Thailand’s capital of Bangkok, where rescue teams worked through the night to free the construction workers trapped beneath the rubble.
Buildings across the city were evacuated, including a hospital holding patients in acute need of medical attention. A woman gave birth on the street amid the commotion, lying on a stretcher surrounded by hospital staff.
Bui Thu, a BBC journalist who lives in Bangkok, told the BBC World Service’s Newsday programme that she was at home cooking when the initial quake happened. “I was very nervous, I was very panicked,” she said.
“Buildings in Bangkok are not engineered for earthquakes, so I think that’s why I think there’s going to be big damage.”
Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra visited the site of the collapsed building on Friday afternoon.
Search and rescue teams using drones, sniffer dogs and diggers have been mobilised and disaster centres set up to help with the rescue operation.
Thirty-six (36) naval personnel completed an eight-month Basic Marine Qualification Course and received their Marine insignia at the main parade ground of SLNS Vidura in Sampur, Trincomalee today, (29 August 2026).
At the invitation of Commandant SLNS Vidura, Captain Ravindu Harischandra, the ceremony was graced by Rear Admiral Buddhika Liyanagamage, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Navy and Commander Eastern Naval Area.
The group, comprising 3 officers and 33 sailors, completed the 10th intake of the Basic Marine Qualification Course, after volunteering for the demanding training programme.
In recognition of exceptional performance during the training, trophies were presented to outstanding personnel. Lieutenant (S) VPA Sasanka was awarded trophies for Best Marine of the Course, Highest Aggregate in Overall Subjects, and Best Marksman.
Physical Training Instructor WMGDP Bandara received the trophy for Best Physical Fitness. Addressing the newly qualified personnel,
Rear Admiral Liyanagamage congratulated them on successfully completing the course. He urged them to use the skills and experience gained through their training to contribute to safeguarding the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also called on them to apply the courage and determination developed during the course both in their professional and personal lives, and to remain prepared to meet any challenge faced by the country.
He stressed the importance of keeping their knowledge and training up to date and maintaining constant vigilance while carrying out their duties.
Rear Admiral Liyanagamage also expressed his appreciation to
the Commanding Officer of SLNS Vidura and the directing staff for their contribution to the successful completion of the course.
The insignia ceremony also included a demonstration showcasing the capabilities and skills of the Sri Lanka Navy Marine.
Rear Admiral Achala Silva, Director General Logistics; Rear Admiral Kusal Dissanayake, Commandant Naval Infantry; Commodore Sanjeewa Kodikara, Director Marine; officers
from Navy Headquarters and the Eastern Naval Area; senior officers from the Army, Air Force and Police; and parents of the newly passed out marine personnel attended the ceremony.
Water levels in the lake which formed amid the debris of the landslide in Tibet are rising once again, according to Chinese state media.
There is a continued risk of secondary mudslides or landslides, the report adds.
The command team in charge of rescue efforts around Gyirong port, the main land border between Nepal and Tibet, have launched drones and set up observations posts to monitor the slopes and provide an early warning system to rescuers working nearby.
Search teams are making the most of a short weather window to try to find survivors.
Work is also underway to try to re-open the road.
(Aljazeera)
More than 600 people have died following Wednesday’s devastating flash flood in Nepal.
An update from Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Authority (NDRRMA) confirms the figure as 626 and the number of people missing as 2,426, as rescue operations continue for the fourth day
Emergency teams are warning that rain is making it difficult to reach some of the worst affected areas, our correspondent in Trishuli writes
Families of the missing – including at least 517 foreign nationals – are waiting for news on the whereabouts of their loved ones
(Aljazeera)
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