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The death toll could reach at least 1,000 people, the USGS forecasts. On Friday, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake shook central-northern Myanmar, leaving hundreds dead and injured across the country, where the military government declared a state of emergency.

The tremor was recorded at 12:50 p.m. local time, at a depth of 10 kilometers, with the epicenter located approximately 17 kilometers from Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

“All the buildings are completely destroyed… It was chaos. It was terrifying. I was trapped inside my home for a few minutes,” said a 40-year-old woman from Naypyidaw, the Burmese capital, one of the areas affected by the earthquake.

The armed forces, which have held power since the 2021 coup, declared a state of emergency in six regions: Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, Shan, Naypyidaw, and Bago.

Military junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun informed that at least 200 people have died, and 730 have been injured across the country, where telecommunications and infrastructure have been severely impacted, making it difficult to count victims and carry out rescue efforts.

“The number of dead and injured is expected to rise,” said Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing during an address broadcast on state television. According to preliminary data, the earthquake left 96 dead in Naypyidaw, 30 in Shan State near China, 18 in the central Sagaing region, and 30 in the Mandalay region.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Geological Survey, which monitors seismic activity worldwide, issued an orange alert and indicated that the death toll could reach at least 1,000 people.

This is due to the fact that, at the earthquake’s epicenter, 7,000 people were exposed to “violent shaking,” 2.8 million to “severe shaking,” and more than 10 million to “strong or very strong shaking.”

The disaster could be widespread. Previous orange alerts have required a regional or national response. As a result, the military junta made an unusual appeal for international assistance after declaring a state of emergency. This request contrasts with their response to previous disasters, in which the military obstructed international aid.

A rescue worker in Mandalay reported that they lack the necessary tools to search through the rubble and are currently limited to “transporting patients and bodies” of the deceased.

The quake was also felt in neighboring countries such as Thailand, where Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra declared a state of emergency in the capital. At least ten people have died, 16 have been injured, and more than 100 are missing due to the collapse of three buildings under construction.

In Bangkok, about 1,000 kilometers from the epicenter, the tremor was felt throughout the city, prompting evacuations from buildings during the day. Rescue operations continue at the most affected construction site near the Chatuchak Market, where dozens remain missing and at least eight people have died. Emergency teams are using drones at the disaster site to speed up the search for more survivors.

The earthquake was also strongly felt in several cities in China’s Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar. However, reported damages there have been minimal so far.

Myanmar’s earthquake could be the largest in the region in three-quarters of a century. Experts warn that a combination of the quake’s magnitude and shallow depth increases the likelihood of severe damage. They also raised concerns about the structural integrity of buildings in the affected areas.

Myanmar has been trapped in a spiral of economic crisis and conflict since the coup, with fighting taking place across much of the country between the military and pro-democracy guerrilla forces.