A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake rattled much of Southeast Asia on Friday, resulting in mounting casualties and flattened skyscrapers from Myanmar to Thailand.
The epicenter was in Mandalay, Myanmar, the country's second-largest city. Even Bangkok, some 600 miles away, felt widespread shaking and saw significant damage from the quake -- including the total collapse of a skyscraper under construction.
Casualties are expected to rise as search and rescue efforts are underway in collapsed buildings in Myanmar and Thailand, officials said.
In Myanmar, the death toll has climbed to 2,056, with more than 3,900 people injured and 270 people reported missing, according to the Myanmar Military Junta.
In Bangkok, at least 13 people were killed in a building collapse in Chatuchak, according to the Bangkok Metro Authority.
Reports from International Rescue Committee teams working in central Myanmar and Shan State reveal the staggering scale of humanitarian needs in the aftermath of Friday’s earthquake.
IRC partners have started distributing essential support to the earthquake-hit communities, including water, hygiene kits and critical medical assistance.
One of the IRC staff members working in Mandalay said they have “never experienced anything like this.”
“I have lived through several earthquakes in my life, but I have never experienced anything like this,” the staff member said. “The most powerful shaking lasted only a few seconds, and many people immediately ran out of their houses.”
The staff member said many people are sleeping outside their homes on roads or open fields due to the fear of aftershocks.
“There is an urgent need for tents, as even those whose homes remain intact are too afraid to sleep indoors,” the staff member said.
A limited amount of water is available, telecommunication lines are “unreliable” and hospitals are overwhelmed with trauma cases, the staff member said.
“Patients are being treated on beds placed outside due to fears of buildings collapsing,” the staff member said.
Ciarán Donnelly, senior vice president of international programs at the IRC, told ABC News Live that teams are dealing with an “unimaginably horrendous situation on the ground,” with 80% of buildings destroyed in some towns.
“The challenges are immense. You’ve got infrastructure that’s been destroyed, airports and roads that have been damaged, supply chains disrupted,” Donnelly said.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
International teams including China and Russia have already been on the ground responding to the increasingly desperate situation in Myanmar, filling the void in the U.S. absence.
Chinese teams arrived 18 hours after the earthquake, with more than 400 Chinese personnel now on the ground. On Monday, they rescued four people from collapsed buildings in Mandalay.
Beijing has sent planes full of supplies, providing $14 million in aid. China also has multiple teams in Thailand.
Mao Ning, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, said on X: “China, a friend in need.”
-ABC News’ Britt Clennett
The U.S. Embassy in Myanmar has announced up to $2 million to address humanitarian needs in the aftermath of last week’s earthquake, calling it part of the United States’ “immediate response” to the disaster.
Additionally, a small U.S. Agency for International Development emergency response team has been deployed to assess the situation in Myanmar, but officials said that as of Monday morning, they had not yet been able to enter the country.
Officials at the State Department said discussions regarding a more extensive response to the earthquake are ongoing, including the possibility of sending a Disaster Assistance Response Team.
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston
In Myanmar, the death toll has climbed to 2,056, with more than 3,900 people injured and 270 people reported missing, according to the Myanmar Military Junta.
Myanmar State TV announced that seven days of national mourning begin on Monday.
The United Nations Special Envoy on Myanmar Julie Bishop called for “all sides” in Myanmar to “allow for humanitarian relief and ensure that aid workers can operate in safety,” in a statement to U.N. reporters issued Monday.
“Continuing military operations in disaster-affected areas risks further loss of life and undermines the shared imperative to respond,” the statement added.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti and Ellie Kaufman
