People in Myanmar's earthquake-stricken areas braced for thunderstorms after rain and wind hampered rescue operations, while many who lost their homes were forced to sleep outside.

As the road shook beneath him, Ko Zeyer sped past crumbled buildings, buckled roads and gaping sinkholes toward his hometown of Sagaing, the epicenter of the most powerful earthquake to hit Myanmar in a century.

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake rattled much of Southeast Asia on Friday, flattening skyscrapers and leaving more than 1,000 people dead from Myanmar to Thailand.