A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar on Friday, causing extensive damage across a wide swath of one of the world’s poorest countries and prompting officials to warn that the initial death toll — above 140 — was likely to grow in the days ahead.

The death toll from a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar jumped to more than 1,000 on Saturday as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of the scores of buildings that collapsed when it struck near the country’s second-largest city.

Even before a powerful 7.7-magnitude quake hit Myanmar, more than 3 million people in the country faced displacement.

A strong earthquake hit Myanmar and Thailand on Friday, with over 1000 people reportedly dead in Myanmar. The earthquake destroyed buildings, bridges, and dams, as images from two cities showed extensive damage.

A devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has killed 694 people and injured 1,670. The quake struck northwest of Sagaing, causing widespread destruction. Mandalay and other areas saw significant damage with building collapses and bridge failures.

Myanmar's military chief used a speech at the annual Armed Forces Day celebration to reaffirm plans to hold a general election by year's end and call on opposition groups fighting the army to join in party politics.

Follow our live coverage of the earthquake here State of emergency declared in Myanmar after huge earthquake What initially began as a civil disobedience campaign soon evolved into a widespread insurgency involving pro-democracy and ethnic rebel groups - which eventually sparked an all-out civil war.

Myanmar's junta chief Min Aung Hlaing will join a regional leaders' summit in Thailand next week where he is seeking high-level bilateral meetings, three sources with direct knowledge told Reuters, in a rare visit to a Southeast Asian country since seizing power in coup that led to a civil war.