Myanmar earthquake: race to find survivors as junta confirms huge rise in death toll

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the earthquake that devastated Myanmar and caused the deadly collapse of a high-rise building in Bangkok on Friday.

The Myanmar junta on Saturday said almost 700 people had died in the quake. The country’s second biggest city, Mandalay, is believed to have been especially hard hit, with images showing widespread destruction.

Min Aung Hlaing, the chief of Myanmar’s junta, said on Friday he expected the death toll to rise and urged “any country, any organisation” to help with relief efforts – a rare request from the isolated military government, which has previously shunned foreign assistance even after major natural disasters.

The junta said blood was in high demand in the worst-affected areas as concerns grew about how rescuers would even reach some parts of a country already enduring a widespread humanitarian crisis.

In neighbouring Thailand, search and rescue efforts continued for up to 101 people reported missing from construction sites in Bangkok, including the high-rise.

Authorities on Saturday said six people had been confirmed dead and 22 injured, revising down the death toll of 10 from the previous day, saying several critically injured people were mistakenly reported dead.

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said more people were believed to be alive in the wreckage as search efforts continued on Saturday morning.

We’ll bring you more updates as we have them.