The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.7 and many people are feared dead.
The center of the quake was located in central Myanmar, according to reports at just ten kilometers deep near the million city of Mandalay. Around twelve minutes after the first quake, an aftershock with magnitude occurred 6.4, according to the US geological authority (USGS). Witnesses in Mandalay describe collapsed buildings in the city, writes Reuters.
According to the authorities, there are reports of a large number of injured in Myanmar. An official tells AFP that many people have arrived at the hospital in the capital Naypyidaw. However, the data is scarce – since a military coup in 2021, the governing junta has taken control of virtually all media and severely limited access to the Internet.
In social media, unverified images flourish on a ravaged bridge, collapsed buildings and injured people and roads in Myanmar. An AFP team that was in place in Naypyidaw describes how large pieces of roof fell from buildings and walls crackled.