UAE expresses solidarity with quake-hit Myanmar and Thailand

The UAE has expressed solidarity with Myanmar and Thailand after a powerful earthquake struck both countries, leaving hundreds dead and many more injured.

In a statement, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs extended its sincere condolences to both governments and families of the victims, and wished speedy recovery to those wounded.

Friday's 7.7 magnitude quake, among the biggest to jolt the Southeast Asian nation in the last century, crippled airports, bridges and highways amid a civil war that has wrecked the economy and displaced millions.

The death toll in Myanmar climbed to 1,002, the military government said on Saturday. In neighbouring Thailand, where the quake rattled buildings and brought down a skyscraper under construction in the capital Bangkok, at least nine people were killed.