Myanmar junta asks for international aid after quake

Earthquake survivors wait to receive medical attention in the compounds of a hospital in Naypyidaw on March 28, 2025, after an earthquake in central Myanmar. Agence France-Presse

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar — Myanmar’s ruling junta made a rare request for international humanitarian aid and declared a state of emergency across six regions after a powerful earthquake hit the country on Friday.

AFP reporters saw junta chief Min Aung Hlaing arrive at a hospital in Naypyidaw where wounded were being treated after the 7.7-magnitude quake hit central Myanmar.

“We want the international community to give humanitarian aid as soon as possible,” junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told AFP at the hospital.

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Casualty numbers have yet to emerge but the fact that the isolated military government is appealing for help — which it rarely does after natural disasters — suggests they could be on a large scale.

The junta said in a statement that a state of emergency was in effect in six of the worst-affected areas: Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, northeastern Shan State, Naypyidaw, and Bago.

Zaw Min Tun said blood donations were needed for patients in Mandalay, Naypyidaw and Sagaing.

READ: Major Myanmar hospital a ‘mass casualty area’ after powerful quake

First posted 5:13 pm