A major hospital in the Myanmar capital Naypyidaw is a "mass casualty area" after the country was rocked by a huge earthquake, an official at the facility said.
Rows of wounded were treated outside the emergency department of the 1,000-bed general hospital, some writhing in pain, others lying still as relatives sought to comfort them.
The entrance of the emergency department at the city's main hospital pancaked onto a car.
A hospital official said that "this is a mass casualty area."
Another official said hundreds of injured people had arrived at the facility.
"I haven't seen [anything] like this before," a doctor said.
"We are trying to handle the situation.
"I'm so exhausted now."
The route to the hospital was jammed with vehicles.
An ambulance tried to make its way through, a paramedic shouting "cars, move aside so the ambulance can get through."
The quake damaged religious shrines, sending parts and some homes toppling to the ground.
At the National Museum in Yangon, pieces fell from the ceiling as the building began shaking.
Uniformed staff ran outside, some trembling and tearful, others grabbing cellphones to try to contact loved ones.
Part of the former royal palace and buildings were damaged.
While the area is prone to earthquakes, it is generally sparsely populated, and most houses are low-rise structures.
In the Sagaing region just southwest of Mandalay, the 90-year-old Ava Bridge collapsed, and some sections of the highway connecting Mandalay and Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon, were also damaged.
Residents in Yangon rushed out of their homes when the quake struck. There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths. (Agencies)
Myanmar hospital 'a mass casualty area' after tremors
2025-03-28 HKT 16:51
