An intense day of emergency is underway in Asia following a violent 7.7 magnitude earthquake that shook vast regions of Myanmar, southern China and northern Thailand early Monday morning , leaving a preliminary toll of dozens dead, hundreds injured and numerous people trapped under the rubble.
The quake struck at 3:42 a.m. local time , with its epicenter in a mountainous area on the border between Myanmar and Yunnan Province, China , at a depth of approximately 10 kilometers, according to data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The quake was also strongly felt in the cities of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai in Thailand, where mass evacuations were reported.
Myanmar , the worst-hit country so far, has declared a state of emergency in several regions after reporting at least 48 deaths and more than 300 injuries , with dozens more missing. In the city of Lashio , buildings have completely collapsed, and rescue teams are working against the clock to find survivors in the rubble.
“We heard a loud noise, and suddenly everything started shaking. The walls cracked, the ground moved like waves,” said Myo Thant , a resident of the affected area, who managed to escape with his family before their home collapsed.