The main airport in Myanmar’s capital Naypyitaw has been closed after a major earthquake on Friday caused its air traffic control tower to collapse, killing at least six people, according to sources.
The 7.7-magnitude earthquake, which struck near Mandalay at around noon of Friday, also forced the closure of the airport there, amid reports of extensive damage to aviation equipment.
In Naypyitaw, a source told Myanmar Now that an air traffic controller, three female assistants, the two-year-old son of one of the assistants, and a military intelligence officer were confirmed dead following the collapse of the tower.
According to an aviation officer at Yangon’s international airport, the radar systems at the airports in both Naypyitaw and Mandalay are no longer operating, making it impossible for them to accept any flights. As a result, Yangon is currently the only operational airport in the country handling relief flights.
“The radar systems and radio equipment used to communicate with pilots and manage air traffic in both Naypyitaw and Mandalay have been destroyed,” the officer said.
“We are deeply sorry for our colleagues in Naypyitaw,” he added.
Meanwhile, as junta chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing arrived in Mandalay early Saturday, official figures put the death toll from the quake at 808, including 694 in Mandalay alone.
The regime has requested international assistance to deal with the aftermath of the disaster, but rights groups say that aid must be allowed to flow unimpeded to all areas, including those not under junta control.
