Sweden’s foreign ministry asked Swedes in Thailand and Myanmar to contact relatives to inform them of their situation, following a series of major earthquakes that hit the two countries on Friday morning.
At 12.50pm local time (6.20am Swedish time), two earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 6.4 hit the countries, with their epicentre near the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar, and tremors felt as far away as India and China.
The earthquakes have caused widespread damage and significant fatalities in both countries.
A high-rise building under construction collapsed in Bangkok, while in Myanmar a mosque collapsed, and damage was done to the Ava Bridge in Mandalay.
In a post on Sweden’s crisis information portal, the ministry said it was requesting that all Swedes in the two countries contact relatives back home.
They should also, it said, “keep updated on developments in the media” and to “follow the advice and orders of the local authorities” in the two countries.
Anyone in need of help from Swedish officials should ring the foreign ministry’s consular emergency number on +46(0)8-405 50 05.
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Swedish residents currently in the two countries should also register their name on the svensklistan, or “Swedish list”, a voluntary database of Swedish residents currently travelling abroad.
Swedish residents can sign up for svensklistan using this simple form, giving their location, contact details and information on who they are travelling with.
The ministry also recommended that anyone in Myanmar or Thailand download its travel app UD Resklar (here on Apple Store, here on Google Play and activate push notifications for Thailand.