Photos Show Severe Impact of Myanmar, Thailand Earthquake

The earthquake’s overall death toll, per the Associated Press, falls in the region of at least 150 people, with an estimated 144 fatalities and 730 people injured in Myanmar alone. In a televised report, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing reportedly said the death toll, and the number of logged injuries, is “expected to rise.” In an update posted Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which tracks seismic activity, predicted that the death toll will exceed 1,000 people. “High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” the notice read.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International’s Myanmar researcher Joe Freeman said in a statement that the earthquake “could not come at a worse time” for the country as it still reels from the 2021 military coup and subsequent displacement of masses in a civil war.

Per reports of the local televised speech, Myanmar’s ruling military junta has declared a state of emergency in several regions affected by the earthquake and called for humanitarian aid, a rare show of international appeal.