Earthquake in Myanmar: more than 2,700 dead, survivors left without food and shelter

As a result of the powerful earthquake in Myanmar on Friday, more than 2,700 people have died, while aid organizations in the worst-hit areas have said there is an urgent need for housing, food and water after the earthquake, and that the civil war in the country may hinder the delivery of aid to those in need, UNN writes with reference to Reuters.

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The death toll has reached 2,719 and is expected to exceed 3,000, Myanmar's military leader Min Aung Hlaing said in a televised address on Tuesday. He said 4,521 people were injured and 441 were missing.

The magnitude 7.7 earthquake that occurred around lunchtime on Friday was the strongest in the Southeast Asian country in a century, destroying both ancient pagodas and modern buildings.

In neighboring Thailand, rescuers continued to search for life among the rubble of a collapsed skyscraper in the capital, Bangkok, but admitted that time was running out.

"There are about 70 bodies underground... and we hope that miraculously one or two of them are still alive," said Bin Bunluerit, head of a volunteer rescue group, at the construction site.

Bangkok Deputy Governor Taveeda Kamolvej said scanners had detected six human-like figures but there was no movement or sign of life. Local and international experts are now working on how to reach them safely, she said.

Thirteen deaths have been confirmed at the construction site, with 74 people still missing. The total death toll from the earthquake in Thailand is 20 people.

In the Mandalay region of Myanmar, 50 children and two teachers died when their kindergarten collapsed, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

"In the worst-affected areas... communities are struggling to meet their basic needs, such as access to clean water and sanitation, while emergency teams are working tirelessly to find survivors and provide life-saving assistance," the UN body said in a statement.

The International Rescue Committee said shelter, food, water and medical care were needed in places like Mandalay, near the epicenter of the earthquake.

"Having survived the horror of the earthquake, people are now afraid of aftershocks and are sleeping on roads or in open fields," an IRC employee in Mandalay said in a statement.

More than 6 million children are in an emergency situation in Myanmar30.03.25, 15:03 • 41494 views

The civil war in Myanmar, where the junta seized power in a coup in 2021, has complicated efforts to provide assistance to those affected and left homeless by the worst earthquake in Southeast Asia in a century.

Amnesty International said the junta needed to allow aid to be delivered to areas of the country not under its control. Rebel groups claim the junta carried out airstrikes after the earthquake.

"The Myanmar military has a long-standing practice of denying aid to areas where groups are resisting it," said Amnesty's Myanmar researcher Joe Freeman.

"It must immediately grant unimpeded access to all humanitarian organizations and remove administrative barriers that are delaying needs assessments," he said.

The junta's tight control over communication networks and damage to roads, bridges and other infrastructure caused by the earthquakes have exacerbated problems for humanitarian workers, the publication writes.

Thai officials said a meeting of regional leaders in Bangkok later this week would proceed as planned, although Min Aung Hlaing of the junta may attend via teleconference.

Before the earthquake, sources said the junta leader was scheduled to make a rare foreign trip to attend the summit in Bangkok on April 3-4.