Iran Ready to Contribute to Earthquake Relief Efforts in Myanmar, Thailand
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered sympathy for the people affected by a powerful earthquake that has struck Myanmar and Thailand, expressing Iran’s readiness to assist the two Southeast Asian nations in the relief and rescue efforts.
In a statement released on Saturday morning, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei expressed his condolences to the people and governments of Myanmar and Thailand over the earthquake fatalities.
Expressing sympathy for the families of victims of the temblor, he voiced Iran’s readiness to assist with the relief and rescue efforts.
The death toll from a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar jumped to over 1,000 on Saturday as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of scores of buildings that collapsed when it struck near the country’s second-largest city.
Myanmar’s military-led government said in a statement that 1,002 people have now been found dead and another 2,376 injured, with 30 others missing. The statement suggested the numbers could still rise, saying “detailed figures are still being collected”.
The earthquake struck midday Friday with an epicenter not far from Mandalay, followed by several aftershocks including one measuring a strong 6.4 magnitude. It sent buildings in many areas toppling to the ground, buckled roads, caused bridges to collapse and burst a dam.
In neighboring Thailand, the quake rocked the greater Bangkok area, home to some 17 million people —many of whom live in high-rise buildings— and other parts of the country.
Bangkok city authorities said so far six people have been found dead, 26 injured and 47 are still missing, most from a construction site near the capital’s popular Chatuchak market.
