Powerful earthquake hits Myanmar, with strong tremors felt in Yangon

As a powerful earthquake rocked central Myanmar on Friday, strong tremors were felt in Yangon, the country's largest city, where residents were startled and schools carried out emergency evacuations.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 struck 16 km NNW of Sagaing, central Myanmar at around 12:50 local time (06:20 GMT) on Friday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The epicenter, with a depth of 10.0 km, was initially determined to be at 22.01 degrees north latitude and 95.92 degrees east longitude.

Although Yangon lies far from the earthquake's epicenter, the city still experienced significant tremors that left a strong impact on the residents.

"When the earthquake was occurring, the whole classroom shook violently. The teachers quickly evacuated the students. The desks and chairs also swayed intensely, and everyone felt dizzy," recalled a local resident.

Another resident, a security guard, said he had never felt such strong tremors, and that his children were also terrified.

"I was on patrol as a security guard during the quake. It was the first time in my life I felt such intense tremors and shaking. I've never experienced anything like it before, and the strong tremors made me feel extremely dizzy. There was no damage at home, but my children were terrified and are still feeling disoriented," he said.

Later on Friday evening, business activities and traffic in Yangon gradually resumed, and many residents who had sought shelter outdoors began returning to their buildings.

At least 144 people have been killed and 732 others injured in the earthquake, according to the Information Team of Myanmar's State Administration Council.

The tremors were felt in China, Thailand, and Laos.

Powerful earthquake hits Myanmar, with strong tremors felt in Yangon

Powerful earthquake hits Myanmar, with strong tremors felt in Yangon

Powerful earthquake hits Myanmar, with strong tremors felt in Yangon

Powerful earthquake hits Myanmar, with strong tremors felt in Yangon

Pakistani warplanes struck several locations across Afghanistan on Thursday night and Friday, killing at least six people, including a woman and a child, and wounding more than a dozen others, local officials said.

The strikes hit a fuel depot near the country's Kandahar Airport, areas in the capital Kabul, and the eastern Nangarhar Province.

A Pakistani security source said the strikes targeted hideouts belonging to the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

In Kabul's 21st police district, one of the areas hit, a market was left in ruins. Several cars were destroyed, and windows of buildings in the market and nearby areas were shattered. A crater caused by the Pakistani airstrikes was also visible.

"This is my car. I had parked it here, and it was the only way I could bring food to my family's table. It was my sole source of income and my only means of employment. Now my car is in this condition, and I have no other way to provide for my family," said Mohamad Ghulam, a taxi driver.

The airstrikes destroyed a house, killing four members of a single family. More than a dozen other households in the area reported their homes either fully or partially destroyed.

One of the victims was 22-year-old Hedayatullah, who had just been married. He was killed alongside his pregnant wife, as well as his brother and sister.

"Hedayatullah got married nine months ago. His brother was 18 years old. He himself was 22 years old, he also had a 12-year-old sister, and his wife was about 19 years old and was pregnant," said Ghulam Sakhi, a relative of the victims.

"This neighbor of ours was a family of five. Their mother was not present at the moment of the bombardment, but the rest of them lost their lives. It was Hedayatuallah's family. From my own family, two of my daughters, my sister-in-law, my brother, and two nieces got injured," said Mohamad Homayoun, a survivor.

In the past weeks, scores of people from both sides have been killed or injured in the conflict between Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, according to officials from the two countries.

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan has called for an immediate halt to cross-border clashes, warning that the escalating violence is driving a surge in civilian casualties and deepening a humanitarian crisis.

At least 6 killed, more than a dozen wounded in Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan: officials