Tánaiste pledges €6M aid to victims of tragic earthquake

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said last night that ‘our thoughts go to all those who lost their lives’ following the earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand.

‘Deeply concerned by the scenes following the earthquake in Myanmar and parts of Thailand. Our thoughts go to all those who lost their lives, the injured and those involved in the emergency response,’ he posted on X.

Earlier yesterday, Tánaiste Simon Harris announced that Ireland has pledged €6m in relief as the death toll in Myanmar has risen to 1,644, the ruling military junta said, with 3,408 people injured.

Friday’s earthquake, which measured 7.7 on the Richter scale, also collapsed buildings in Bangkok, the capital of neighbouring Thailand.

In the city, home to 17million people, at least 11 died and 32 were injured in the earthquake and its aftershocks when a building under construction collapsed.

Shocked residents watched as the 30-storey building collapsed near the city’s Chatuchak Market.

Dramatic footage on social media showed scenes of panic as the structure crumbled as builders and workers screamed and ran. Out of the more than 400 workers on site, at least 96 were still missing yesterday.

Some of the workers are believed to be from Myanmar, as many migrants work in Thailand’s construction industry. Throughout Friday night and into yesterday morning drones, sniffer dogs, cranes and excavators were brought in to help with the rescue effort.

The epicentre of the earthquake was near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second city, where scores of buildings and bridges collapsed, roads buckled and dams burst.

Videos shared on social media show huge piles of rubble on the streets, with multiple buildings collapsed. Footage also showed the Sagaing bridge, an important connection between the city and rest of the country, completely destroyed.

Myanmar’s military regime was last night condemned by the UN for conducting air strikes near Mandalay, hampering rescue work.

Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, said it was ‘nothing short of incredible’ that the military was continuing to ‘drop bombs when you are trying to rescue people’.

Meanwhile, last night the Irish Embassy in Thailand urged Irish citizens in the country to follow the instructions of local authorities, adding that ‘any citizen in need of consular assistance can contact the embassy on +66 2 016 1360’.

Reporting by Abul Taher