The death toll following the earthquake in Myanmar is expected to reach tens of thousands.

State media in is reporting that more than 1,000 people have died following yesterday's earthquake.

Nearly 2,400 people have been hurt - most near the city of Mandalay.

In Thailand, police said eight people have been killed after an under-construction skyscraper collapsed in Bangkok.

Rescuers spray water to reduce dust in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, March 29, 2025, while searching for victims at the site of a high-rise building under construction that collapsed after Friday's earthquake. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders spokesperson Donal Gorman said they are assessing the situation in Myanmar.

"MSF teams [are] already on the ground in Myanmar and Thailand, busy now with assessing the sitaution in Myanmar and in our zone of intervention on the west Thailand border," he said.

"Our medical and humanitarian staff in Myanmar and in neighbouring countries have the capacity to respond at scale to the needs of affected communities once authorities facilitate swift and unhindered access."

Tectonic setting

Because of its tectonic setting, Myanmar often experiences significant earthquakes.

Associate professor in structural engineering at UCD Daniel McCrum said it was a big shake because the fault line is huge.

"It was a magnitude 7.7 earthquake and this magnitude is a measure of how big the area of the fault is along the line of the fault," he said.

"It's also a measure of how much the ground has moved as well.

"And also this earthquake happened at quite a shallow depth of about 10 kilometres as well."

This is the largest quake in the region in over 30 years.

Main image: A 30 floor under construction condominium in the Thai capital Bangkok collapsed due to a 7.7 earthquake in neighboring Myanmar. (Credit Image: © Adryel Talamantes/ZUMA Press Wire). 29th Mar, 2025.