Earthquake kills over 1,000 in Myanmar, sparks global aid response

A total of 1,002 people were killed, 2,376 injured and 30 missing in a deadly earthquake in Myanmar's Mandalay region as of Saturday morning, according to the Information Team of Myanmar's State Administration Council.

The magnitude-7.7 earthquake toppled buildings and caused widespread infrastructure damage, local authorities reported.

Much of the devastation occurred in Myanmar's second-largest city, Mandalay, which lies near the epicenter of the quake that struck at lunchtime, followed by a powerful aftershock and several more moderate ones.

The quake was also felt in Thailand, China, and Laos.

A U.S. government analysis based on the strength and depth of the quake estimated that there could be thousands of deaths and severe economic losses, with the Sagaing and Meiktila regions being the worst hit.

State media reported that the quake caused the collapse of buildings in five cities and towns, as well as a railway bridge and a road bridge on the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway. Images showed the destroyed Ava Bridge over the Irrawaddy River, its arches leaning into the water.

"The impact of the earthquake in Myanmar is likely to be severe, with possibly thousands of displaced people in need of urgent shelter, food and medical aid," said Mohammed Riyas, regional director of the International Rescue Committee.

"We fear it may be weeks before we understand the full extent of destruction caused by this earthquake, as communication network lines are down and transport is disrupted," he said.

Wang Tun, director of the Natural Disaster Early Warning Research Center at Sichuan University, told CGTN that inevitable aftershocks would continue to affect the region. 

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the United Nations is mobilizing in Southeast Asia to help those in need. A UN spokesperson stated that $5 million in emergency aid has been allocated while additional needs are being assessed and the response coordinated.

China has announced its readiness to deliver emergency humanitarian aid to the affected region. A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated on Friday that, as a friendly neighbor of Myanmar, China is closely monitoring the situation and extends sincere sympathies to Myanmar.

On Saturday morning, China's 37-member medical rescue team arrived in Yangon, with two additional squads – China's professional earthquake rescue team, China Search and Rescue (CSR), and the country's largest volunteer team, Blue Sky Rescue – on their way.

Later on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke at the White House, stating that he had communicated with officials in Myanmar and that his administration would provide assistance. "We're going to be helping," he told reporters.

Despite the administration's push to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and cut nearly all remaining jobs, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said USAID disaster experts are ready to assist with essentials such as food and potable water.

"USAID has maintained a team of disaster experts with the capacity to respond if disaster strikes," she said in a press briefing. "We are ready to move now. There has been no impact on our ability to perform those duties, those requests for aid, if and when they come in." 

(With input from Reuters)

(Cover: Volunteers carry out rescue efforts near damaged buildings after the earthquake in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, March 28, 2025. /CFP)