Myanmar Quake Statement (CR)
Head of Myanmar's military government gives statement on powerful quake
The head of Myanmar's military government has declared a state of emergency, saying 144 people were killed and 732 injured in Friday's earthquake.
During a television address, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing announced that the epicentre was about 20 kilometers away from Mandalay.
He warned that the death toll would increase and said that the country was open to receiving aid and was already receiving assistance from India.
"In some places, buildings collapsed and rescue operations continue," he said.
The earthquake shook the Earth as far as Bangkok, about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) away.
Two hard-hit cities in Myanmar suffered extensive damage, with images from the capital, Naypyidaw, showing rescue crews pulling victims from the rubble of collapsed buildings.
Experts say the earthquake, which occurred along the Sagaing Fault, was close to the Earth's surface, generating intense seismic forces.
Preliminary estimates by the U.S. Geological Survey show that nearly 800,000 people in Myanmar may have been within the zone of the most violent shaking and that death tolls exceeding 1,000 people, and perhaps much higher, are probable.
