Mar 29, Kathmandu- Rescue operations are underway in Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city, after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck the country on Friday. Rescue operations are also underway in other areas hit by the quake.

A 37-member rescue and medical team from southwest China's Yunnan province arrived in Myanmar on Saturday morning to help with rescue and relief efforts. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appealed for help for people in need in Southeast Asian countries after the quake.

An earthquake in Myanmar's Mandalay region has killed 694 people, injured 1,670, and left 68 missing as of Saturday morning, according to the information team of Myanmar's State Administration Council.

The quake was also felt in China, Thailand and Laos. Guterres expressed his condolences to the people affected by the earthquake at a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York. Guterres said the Myanmar government had appealed for international assistance following the powerful quake.