Bangkok, March 30 (QNA) - The death toll from the earthquake that struck the Thai capital, Bangkok, Friday rose to 17 dead and 32 injured, while 83 others remain missing.

In a statement today, Thailand’s local authority reported damage across 18 provinces throughout the country, including 420 houses, 76 hospitals, 8 buildings, 23 schools, and 18 government offices.

Most of the fatalities were construction workers who died in the collapse of a 30-story building under construction in Bangkok. It is believed that most of the missing individuals are trapped beneath the rubble. Large mechanical excavators were deployed at the site in an attempt to locate and rescue those still buried.

Thailand’s Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, had declared a state of emergency in Bangkok the day before yesterday, Friday, after a powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck the city. Its epicenter was in Myanmar, which also suffered an even stronger quake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale, resulting in thousands of casualties and extensive damage to infrastructure. (QNA)