A strong earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday, prompting the governing junta to declare a state of emergency in six provinces and make a rare appeal for international humanitarian assistance.
Following the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck central Myanmar, AFP correspondents witnessed junta chief Min Aung Hlaing come at a hospital in Naypyidaw where injured people were receiving treatment.
“We want the international community to give humanitarian aid as soon as possible,” junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told AFP at the hospital.
Casualty numbers have yet to emerge but the fact that the isolated military government is appealing for help — which it rarely does after natural disasters — suggests they could be on a large scale.
The junta said in a statement that a state of emergency was in effect in six of the worst-affected areas: Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, northeastern Shan State, Naypyidaw, and Bago.
Zaw Min Tun said blood donations were needed for patients in Mandalay, Naypyidaw and Sagaing.
