At least 144 people killed, 732 others injured by earthquake in Myanmar — as it happened

We're going to leave our live coverage of the earthquake disaster in Myanmar and Thailand here, thanks for joining us.

Let's take a look at what's unfolded.

• A 7.7-magnitude quake struck central Myanmar on Friday afternoon, local time.
• Myanmar's military chief says at least 144 people have died and more than 730 others injured in the country.
• He's called for the international community to provide aid and relief.
• The shocks were felt as far away as Thailand, where a 30-storey building under construction collapsed.
• Rescue efforts have continued through the night at the site in Bangkok, where at least three people have died and another 81 people were trapped.
• One official put the number killed at the site at eight.

Stay tuned to the ABC News website for all the latest updates.

Here's a snapshot of the rescue efforts launched in Myanmar after the quake.

The country's military chief says at least 144 people have died but he expects that number to rise.

More than 730 people have been injured.

These pictures show locals and rescue workers searching for people in Myanmar's capital, Naypyidaw.

The centre of the earthquake struck just 21km from Myanmar's second largest city, Mandalay.

More pictures are starting to emerge of the destruction there, including this temple that's been left in ruins.

Reporting with Reuters

At least nine people have died in Thailand, as the death toll from the earthquake disaster continues to rise.

Bangkok's Deputy Governor, Tavida Kamolvej, told Reuters that eight people died when the skyscraper that was under construction collapsed in the city.

The ninth person died a another location, but no further details were provided.

We will bring you more information as it becomes available.

Reporting with Reuters

The head of Myanmar’s military government said in a televised speech on Friday evening, local time, that at least 144 people had been killed and 732 others were injured.

"The death toll and injuries are expected to rise," Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said.

He also called on "any country, any organisation" to help with relief efforts.

Reporting with AFP/Reuters

Emergency services are working into the night to find those those still missing in Bangkok.

Thailand's deputy PM says 81 people are trapped under the rubble.

Authorities said at least three people have been killed at the site.

Here are the latest pictures from the scene courtesy of Reuters.

Myanmar's state-run MRTV is reporting that at least 144 people have been killed and 732 others injured by the earthquake.

We will bring you further information as we have it.

Reporting with Reuters and AFP

Myanmar's ruling military is yet to give an official figure of the number killed.

Given it has called for urgent international assistance and blood donations, the death toll could be significant.

Eye witness accounts are starting to filter out of the country, providing some snapshots of the tragedy and the scale of the disaster.

• Witnesses said at least three people were killed in the town of Taungoo in Myanmar when a mosque partially collapsed.

• Local media reported at least two people died and 20 were injured after a hotel collapsed in Aung Ban.

• A doctor said at least 20 people died after arriving at a Naypyidaw hospital with injuries from the quake.

• The National Unity Government, that opposes the junta, said at least 12 people had died and it expected more deaths were likely in the city of Mandalay.

Reporting with Reuters and AFP

Myanmar has been gripped by civil war since the army ousted the democratically-elected government in 2021.

The UN says in the years since, some three million people have fled the country and 20 million others are in need of humanitarian assistance.

Nyi Nyi Kyaw, a Myanmar academic at the University of Bristol, said the earthquake had struck "at a moment when Myanmar is at its most vulnerable ... in decades".

He said civil society had largely fled following the coup and those community-based organisations that remained were unable to manage the disaster relief effort.

Recent US aid cuts have also curtailed efforts to help those in need in the country.

"In essence, Myanmar is wholly unable to deal with the shock and its aftermath," he said.

Reporting with Reuters and AP

The World Health Organization is preparing trauma injury supplies in response to the unfolding disaster.

It's coordinating its response from its Geneva headquarters "because we see this as a huge event" with "clearly a very, very big threat to life and health", spokeswoman Margaret Harris told a media briefing.

"We expect that there will be many, many injuries that need to be dealt with," Ms Harris said.

She also said the WHO would focus on bringing in essential medicines and was bracing for critical health infrastructure to be damaged.

Reporting with AFP

Still recovering from his recent bout of ill-health, Pope Francis has offered his prayers to those killed in the earthquake from the Vatican.

"The pope has been informed of the disaster in Myanmar and is praying for the dramatic situation and for the many victims, also in Thailand," the Vatican said in a statement.

Reporting with AP

We're hearing various different numbers regarding the death toll in Myanmar, but the war-torn country's shadow foreign minister has told Reuters at least 12 people have died.

Top diplomat of the parallel National Unity Government Zin Mar Aung also said that troops from the anti-junta militias, known as the People's Defence Forces, would be providing humanitarian help.

"It's very serious, we need humanitarian and technical assistance from the international community," Zin Mar Aung said in a phone interview, adding communications was a major challenge, including internet restrictions imposed by the junta in a hard-hit area.

The military ousted Myanmar's democratically elected government four years ago.

A bloody civil war involving several resistance groups has continued since.

Reporting with Reuters

More pictures are starting to filter out from Myanmar.

Pictures from Reuters show the quake has hit Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, very hard.

Voranoot Thirawat, a lawyer working in central Bangkok, said her first indication that something was wrong came when she saw a light swinging back and forth.

Then she heard the building creaking as it moved back and forth.

She and her colleagues ran down 12 flights of stairs.

“In my lifetime, there was no earthquake like this in Bangkok,” she said.

Paul Vincent, a tourist visiting from England, was at a street side bar when the quake struck.

“The next thing, everybody came on the street, so there was a lot of screaming and panicking, which obviously made it a lot worse,” he said.

As he came onto the street himself, he said he saw a high-rise building swaying and water falling from a rooftop pool.

Reporting with AP

Bangkok's city hall declared the city a disaster area to facilitate the response.

The city's governor has been placed in charge of coordinating the disaster response, it said.

The greater Bangkok area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments.

Myanmar is in the midst of a brutal civil war, with internet and phone reception patchy at the best of times.

We are starting to get a sense of the damage in some parts of the country in these pictures.

The ruling military junta has issued a rare plea for international help following the quake.

Myanmar National Airlines has cancelled some flights following the earthquake.

"We deeply regret the inconvenience caused by the recent earthquake, which has affected your travel plans. Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by this difficult situation," it said on its Facebook page.

The earthquake was also reportedly felt in Yunan an Sichuan provinces in China.

Chinese media reports say people were injured in the city of Ruili, which borders Myanmar, and some buildings were also damaged there.

Reporting with AP and AFP

Officials from both the UN and Red Cross have issued concerns over significant damage in the centre of Myanmar, including buildings and public infrastructure

"Public infrastructure has been damaged including roads, bridges and public buildings," said a Red Cross official.

"We currently have concerns for large scale dams that people are watching to see the conditions of them. We anticipate the impact to be quite large."

An official from the United Nations Office on Humanitarian Affairs said initial reports indicated significant damage in the centre of the country.

"We are gathering information about the people impacted, infrastructure damage, and immediate humanitarian needs to guide a response," a spokesperson said.

A doctor says that about 20 people have died at a major hospital in Myanmar's capital.

"About 20 people died after they arrived at our hospital so far. Many people were injured," said the doctor at the 1,000-bed general hospital in Naypyidaw, who requested anonymity.

Reporting with AFP