A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar on Friday, sending shock waves across Southeast Asia and leaving a trail of death and destruction.

       The military junta in Myanmar said that 144 people had died and 732 had been injured in just three cities. But it did not including any toll from Mandalay, the country’s second largest city, which lies near the epicenter. Many injured quake victims flooded Mandalay’s hospitals. The death toll seemed certain to rise significantly.

       Hundreds of miles from the epicenter, the earthquake collapsed a skyscraper under construction in Bangkok, killing at least seven people and leaving dozens missing. It also shook buildings in China and rattled bridges and homes as far away as Vietnam.

       Myanmar is in the throes of a civil war that has left nearly 20 million people without proper food and shelter. Censorship imposed by its military government has limited the spread of information from the heart of the disaster, even as the scale of damage in Thailand and other countries is slowly becoming clear.

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       Here’s what you need to know: Where was the epicenter? Which countries have been affected? What is the death toll, and what damage has been caused? What aid is available?

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