About seven hours have passed since a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck central Myanmar, but the extent of the damage has yet to be assessed.
The earthquake occurred in Myanmar at 12:50 PM local time (3:20 PM Korean time) on the 28th, but the exact scale of casualties remains unknown.
Power outages and infrastructure damage caused by the earthquake, along with clashes between the military junta that staged a coup and rebel forces, restrictions on press freedom by the military regime, and internet shutdowns appear to be affecting the situation.
Since the military government took power in 2021, Myanmar citizens have faced restrictions on access to the internet and social networking services (SNS).
The New York Times (NYT) reported that in such circumstances, when power outages and infrastructure damage occur, information is inevitably further blocked.
According to Access Now, a nonprofit organization protecting digital citizenship, internet shutdowns are known to be more severe in rebel-controlled areas opposing the military.
Joe Freeman, a researcher at the international human rights organization Amnesty International (AI), stated that people in the affected areas are using satellite internet service Starlink to access the internet.
The situation in Myanmar is being compared to Thailand, which lies within the earthquake's impact zone. Damage reports from Bangkok, Thailand, located about 1,000 km from the earthquake's epicenter, are being shared via SNS.
Thai authorities are continuously updating and announcing the number of casualties and missing persons from collapsed buildings, but Myanmar authorities have not disclosed specific casualty figures.
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