The death toll of a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Southeast Asia has climbed to more than 1,000 amid fears that the casualty figures will continue to rise in the war-torn nation and in neighboring Thailand.

Myanmars military-run government said on March 29 that 1,002 people were killed in the earthquake that rocked the region a day earlier, while authorities in Thailand said at least 10 people have been found dead so far.

Rescue workers in Myanmar on March 29 continued to search for possible survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings, and the countrys military leadership allowed hundreds of foreign rescue personnel to enter to assist in the effort.

The countrys junta government declared a state of emergency across six regions and its isolated leader, General Min Aung Hlaing, said earlier on state television that he had invited "any country" to provide help and donations.

Myanmars military government is locked in a fight with anti-junta insurgents, a situation that could hamper the rescue and relief operation.

A spokesman for the opposition National Unity Government said earlier that fighters from the anti-junta militias known as the People's Defense Forces would provide humanitarian help.

Historic City At Epicenter

According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred at around 1:30 p.m. local time at a depth of 10 kilometers near Mandalay, the second-largest city in Myanmar. It was followed 11 minutes later by a 6.4-magnitude aftershock.

The tremors left buildings, bridges, and roads wrecked in the epicenter, Mandalay, an ancient city of about 1.5 million people, residents and local media said.

Reuters cited an unnamed resident as saying that destruction stretched across the entire city, leaving it with no electricity and disrupted phone lines.