NAYPYIDAW: The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck Myanmar reached 1,002 on Saturday. More than 2,000 are said to be injured in the incident. Rescue operations are ongoing. The US agency said that the death toll could exceed 10,000.

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar at 12.50 pm local time yesterday. Many people are reportedly trapped under the rubble of buildings after a powerful earthquake struck Myanmar and neighboring Thailand. Five cities in Myanmar were affected by the tremor. Buildings, bridges and places of worship collapsed. The country was largely isolated, with power and internet outages. In Mandalay, the heartland of Buddhists, the wall of an ancient palace collapsed.

Traffic came to a standstill after two bridges collapsed on the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway. The epicenter of the earthquake was 17.2 kilometers from Mandalay City. About 1 million people live in Mandalay. Myanmar is relatively prone to earthquakes. Between 1930 and 1956, the country was hit by six earthquakes measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale. In 2011, an earthquake in Shan State killed 151 people, making it the deadliest earthquake in Myanmar's history.

Meanwhile, India has come forward to assist earthquake-hit Myanmar. A military aircraft carrying around 15 tonnes of supplies has left for Myanmar. The essential supplies are being transported by an Indian Air Force C130J aircraft from Hindon Air Force Station.