At least 1,000 people were killed in a huge earthquake that hit Myanmar and the broader region on Friday, and another 2,376 people were injured, the country’s military-led government said on Saturday.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimated that the death toll could go as high as 10,000 people, after the 7.7-magnitude quake struck near Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city. The tremor also rocked neighboring Thailand, with some 100 people still trapped in a building under construction that collapsed in Bangkok.
Myanmar is led by junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, who is the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.
U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration will help Myanmar. This will represent one of Washington’s first responses to a big natural disaster since Trump moved to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development, scrapping more than 80 percent of its programs and slashing funding for numerous initiatives.
The European Union released €2.5 million in initial emergency assistance for victims of the quake, Brussels said in a statement, bringing the EU’s total humanitarian aid to Myanmar to more than €35 million so far this year.
“The EU stands in solidarity with people in Myanmar and the broader region enduring the aftermath of this powerful earthquake,” said Hadja Lahbib, the EU commissioner in charge of crisis management.
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