'Inhumane' Myanmar junta launch airstrikes after quake

Myanmar’s military junta has continued bombing parts of the war-torn country even after the most powerful earthquake in over a century left hundreds dead and millions displaced.

- SHWETA SHARMA

The 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar Friday and sent powerful jolts into neighbouring China and Thailand. At least 1,700 people have been confirmed dead in Myanmar alone, 3,400 were injured and over 300 remained missing, the military-run government said yesterday, as it continued to assess the full extent of the disaster.

The earthquake was the biggest to hit Myanmar since 1912, according to the United States Geological Survey, and has devastated civilian infrastructure including the main highway running up the spine of the country. Many of the worst-hit areas have still not been reached by official agencies, with most rescue efforts being conducted by local residents removing rubble by hand.

Across the border in Bangkok, rescuers raced to find survivors trapped under the rubble of a 33-storey skyscraper. At least 17 people have been killed in the Thai capital with 32 injured and 83 still missing as of last night.