The 7.7-magnitude quake that struck Myanmar on Friday unleashed the energy equivalent of more than 300 atomic bomb explosions, a geologist told CNN, as she warned aftershocks will likely continue to rattle the region.
“The force that a quake like this releases is about 334 atomic bombs,” Jess Phoenix told CNN.
She also warned aftershocks could last for a couple of months as the Indian tectonic plate continued to crash into the Eurasian plate beneath Myanmar.
Phoenix added that the devastation in Myanmar will only be worsened by the country’s civil war.
“What would normally be a difficult situation becomes almost impossible,” she said.
Ravaged by conflict: Myanmar has been reeling from four years of civil war sparked by a bloody and economically destructive military coup, which has seen junta forces battle rebel groups across the country.
The conflict, coupled with communication blackouts, has been a hindrance for the outside world to understand the true impact the earthquake has unleashed so far.
At least 1,000 have died in Myanmar, according to local authorities. The US Geological Survey estimates that the death toll could top 10,000 according to its early modeling projections.