Yangon: The death toll from a massive earthquake in Myanmar has jumped to nearly 700, with almost 1,700 people injured, the country's ruling junta said Saturday.

The shallow 7.7-magnitude quake struck northwest of the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar on Friday, causing massive destruction across large parts of the country.

A state of emergency has been declared in six regions, including Mandalay, the country's second-largest city, which was close to the epicentre and where massive destruction has been seen.

The junta information team said in a statement that 694 deaths had been confirmed in the Mandalay region alone, along with 1,670 people injured.

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A building is damaged after earthquake

But communications are patchy and the true scale of the disaster has yet to emerge, so the death toll is likely to rise significantly.

AFP photos from Mandalay show multiple buildings collapsed into piles of rubble and twisted metal coated in dust, dotted with people attempting rescues. AFP