A magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck central Myanmar on the 28th (local time) has resulted in 1,200 deaths and 2,376 injuries so far.
The Myanmar military regime issued a statement on the 29th, the second day after the earthquake, confirming that more than 3,000 casualties had been reported due to the strong tremor. The death toll has ballooned to about seven times the 144 reported the previous day by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, head of the Myanmar military government.
The strong earthquake occurred 33 kilometers southwest of Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, causing many buildings to collapse and trapping people, resulting in significant damage.
Myanmar's social system has been unable to function fully due to a prolonged civil war. Aftershocks have continued 12 times so far, and the scale of the damage is expected to increase sharply.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) analyzed in a report related to this earthquake that the probability of the number of earthquake-related deaths exceeding 100,000 is 36%. The likelihood of deaths ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 is 35%, implying a 71% chance that the number of deaths may exceed 10,000. The probability of economic losses exceeding $100 billion (approximately 147 trillion won) is 33%, and losses of $10 billion to $100 billion (14 trillion to 147 trillion won) are projected at 35%, indicating that the economic impact could surpass Myanmar's gross domestic product (GDP).