In this photo taken from video released by Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service on Saturday, March 29, 2025, Russian Emergency Ministry employees gather to board one of two planes with rescuers to Myanmar following Friday's earthquake, from a Moscow airfield, Russia. (Russia Emergency Ministry press service via AP)

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar's powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake has killed 1,002 people, as the death toll keeps climbing amid rescue efforts.

The military government said Saturday another 2,376 people were injured, with 30 others missing, in addition to the dead.

The earthquake struck midday Friday, followed by several aftershocks, including one that measured a magnitude of 6.4.

In Thailand, the quake rocked the greater Bangkok area, leaving six people dead, 26 injured and 47 still missing.

Several countries, including Malaysia, Russia and China have dispatched rescue and relief teams.

Here is the latest:

Hong Kong sends a rescue team to Myanmar

Hong Kong sent a group of 51 search-and-rescue personnel to help with earthquake relief efforts in Myanmar. The group includes firefighters and ambulance personnel as well as two search-and-rescue dogs, among others.

The group brings along nine tons (18,000 pounds) of equipment including life detectors and masonry cutting machines, as well as an automatic satellite tracking antenna system that provides network connection, according to a statement on the Hong Kong government’s website.

Control tower at Myanmar airport collapsed

Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC analyzed by The Associated Press show the earthquake toppled the air traffic control tower at Naypyitaw International Airport.

The photos taken Saturday show the tower toppled over as if sheered from its base. Debris lay scattered from the top of the tower, which controlled all air traffic in the capital of Myanmar.

It wasn’t immediately clear if there had been any injuries in the collapse, though the tower would have had staff inside of it at the time of the earthquake Friday. It likely also stopped air traffic into the international airport, given all electronics and radar would have been routed into the tower for controllers.

Flights carrying rescue teams from China have landed at the airport in Yangon instead of going directly to the airports in the major stricken cities of Mandalay and Naypyitaw.

China pledges millions in aid

A spokesperson for the China International Development Cooperation Agency said Saturday that Beijing will provide Myanmar with 100 million yuan ($13.8 million) in emergency humanitarian aid for earthquake relief efforts.

Russia flies rescuer workers to Myanmar

Russia's Emergencies Ministry said 120 rescue workers have been sent to help search for victims trapped in the rubble and assist with clean-up/

According to a statement Friday evening, two aircraft were on their way from Moscow to the earthquake-stricken country, with anaesthesiologists, psychologists and canine units also on board.

China sends more rescuers

An additional rescue team of 82 people left Bejing, hours after a different team of emergency responders from the Chinese province of Yunnan, bordering Myanmar, arrived in the earthquake-stricken country.

Additionally, 16 members of the Chinese civil relief squad Blue Sky Rescue Team in the city of Ruili, Yunnan, departed to Muse City in northern Myanmar to help with relief efforts, according to state broadcaster CGTN. Chinese authorities also sent a first batch of 80 tents and 290 blankets early Saturday.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping extended condolences to Myanmar’s leader Min Aung Hlaing.

The earthquake was felt in parts of China's Yunnan province, though casualties were limited. Two people in Ruili suffered minor injuries and 847 homes were damaged, according to authorities. Some high-rise buildings and older houses in urban areas were also partially damaged, but power and water supplies and transportation and communications lines have been restored.

New Zealand to support relief efforts

New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters wrote on X that his government would support relief efforts “via the International Red Cross Movement."

“Our thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones, and to everyone else affected,” Peters said Saturday.

New Zealand’s foreign ministry said all embassy staff in Yangon and Bangkok were accounted for and no New Zealanders had been reported hurt or killed.

South Korea provides $2 million worth of humanitarian aid to Myanmar

South Korea will send the aid through international organizations to support recovery efforts following the recent earthquake.

The Foreign Ministry stated on Saturday that Seoul will closely monitor the situation and consider additional support if needed.

News from © The Associated Press, 2025