Myanmar Hospital Feared To Turn Into 'Mass Casualty Area' As 7.7 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Region

A 1000-bed hospital in Myanmar's capital, Naypyidaw, is likely a "mass casualty area," according to news agency AFP on Friday afternoon, following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake near the city of Sagaing, approximately 260km away. There has been no official confirmation of fatalities, either at the hospital or overall.

AFP reported that the hospital-one of the largest in the city, though its name remains undisclosed-witnessed chaotic scenes outside, with injured individuals receiving treatment on the streets.

Photo Credit: AP/PTI

Intravenous drips were seen hanging from gurneys as families and loved ones offered comfort.

Across Myanmar, the earthquake caused widespread damage, including to residential buildings in Mandalay and the collapse of an old bridge over the Irrawaddy River. A monastery near the Thai border was also reduced to rubble.

The initial quake triggered aftershocks felt as far as northern Thailand, where Bangkok suspended some metro services.

A video captured a metro train, halted at a platform, shaking violently. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has declared a state of "emergency" in the capital.

In Bangkok's Chatuchak district, 43 people were trapped after a 30-storey government office building under construction collapsed completely. Footage shared on social media showed the structure reduced to a mass of debris and twisted metal in mere seconds.

"When I arrived to inspect the site, I heard people calling for help, saying help me," Worapat Sukthai, Deputy Police Chief of Bang Sue district, told AFP. "We estimate that hundreds of people are injured but we are still determining the number of casualties," he added.

Tremors also rattled China's Yunnan province, where the China Earthquake Networks Center recorded a magnitude of 7.9. Mild shaking was reported in Kolkata in West Bengal, parts of Manipur, and Dhaka and Chattogram in Bangladesh, according to news agency PTI.

Disturbing videos on X depicted buildings trembling in Bangkok and other cities, with residents fleeing to the streets in panic. "I heard it... I was sleeping in the house and then I ran as far as I could in my pyjamas out of the building," Duangjai, a resident of the tourist hotspot Chiang Mai, told AFP.

In Myanmar, alongside the collapsed Irrawaddy River bridge and residential buildings, images from Mandalay (about 24km from Sagaing) suggest more individuals may be trapped.

Additional footage revealed major damage to Mandalay's airport and a monastery near Taunggyi in Shan State, close to the Thai border.