Myanmar quake deaths rise as survivor search intensifies

The magnitude-7.7 earthquake in central Myanmar has killed a documented 2,000 people so far, with scores more trapped beneath rubble

Collapsed building in Mandalay, Myanmar, after earthquake
The eventual death toll is expected to rise above 10,000
(Image credit: Stringer / AFP via Getty Images)

What happened

The official death toll from Friday's magnitude-7.7 earthquake in central Myanmar has topped 2,000, the country's military junta said Sunday night. That number was "expected to rise sharply" as the damage became clear outside Mandalay, the city of 1.2 million near the epicenter, The Wall Street Journal said, and as the clock "inched closer to the 72 hours that most people trapped in rubble are reasonably expected to survive." At least 18 people were killed in Thailand, where Friday's temblor toppled a skyscraper under construction in Bangkok, more than 600 miles from the epicenter.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.