President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has extended his condolences to the leader of Thailand, following the devastating earthquake in Southeast Asia, which has resulted in the tragic loss of lives and left many injured across the region, including in Thailand.
In his message to Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand, President Dr Muizzu expressed his heartfelt sympathies to the families who have lost loved ones and to all those affected by this tragedy. He also conveyed his sincere wishes for the swift recovery of those injured and displaced.
The message further reaffirmed the solidarity of the Maldivian people with the people of Thailand in this time of crisis, expressing hope for an effective response to the disaster, as well as a smooth recovery and rebuilding process.
The shallow 7.7-magnitude quake hit northwest of the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar on Friday, and was followed minutes later by a 6.4-magnitude aftershock.
The quake destroyed buildings, downed bridges, and buckled roads across swathes of Myanmar, with severe damage reported in the second biggest city, Mandalay.
Myanmar has said that 144 people had been killed, with 732 confirmed injured, but warned the toll was likely to rise, with hundreds still buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings and bridges.
The tremors were powerful enough to severely damage buildings across Thai capital Bangkok, hundreds of kilometres away from the epicentre.
Eight deaths have been confirmed so far in Thailand, with the toll expected to rise as rescuers search for workers trapped when a 30-storey skyscraper under construction collapsed.