Myanmar earthquake: 1000-bed hospital a 'mass casualty area' after powerful temblor

Myanmar's military chief Min Aung Hlaing (C) arrives to meet injured people gathered in the compound of a hospital in Naypyidaw. (AFP Image)

A major hospital in the Myanmar capital Naypyidaw is the “mass casualty area” after the country was rocked by a huge earthquake of 7.7 magnitude followed by a powerful aftershock of magnitude 6.4, an official at the facility told AFP.

Rows of wounded were brought to the emergency department of the 1,000-bed general hospital, some writhing in pain, others lying still as relatives sought to comfort them.

The hospital - which has not yet been named - is one of the biggest in the city, AFP said.

The powerful earthquake, which was felt in parts of Thailand, Vietnam, India as well as China, damaged residential buildings in Mandalay and destroyed the iconic Ava bridge over the Irrawaddy River.

Also Read: Thailand Earthquake Live Updates

A state of emergency has been declared in six regions and states in Myanmar by the military-run government.

In Bangkok, several people have reportedly been killed while many others are trapped under the rubble of an under-construction building which collapsed as the quake struck. The building - intended for government offices - was reduced to a tangle of rubble and twisted metal in seconds, footage shared on social media showed.

Also Read: Over 25 killed as massive earthquakes jolt Myanmar in quick succession; tremors rock Bangkok, Vietnam

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has declared a state of 'emergency' in the city.

Meanwhile, China's Yunnan province also reported strong tremors. The China Earthquake Networks Center said the magnitude was 7.9. Mild tremors were also reported from Kolkata in Bengal and parts of Manipur, as well as Dhaka and Chattogram in Bangladesh, news agency PTI said.