The death toll from Myanmar’s devastating earthquake has climbed to 2,719, with officials warning that the number could exceed 3,000 as rescue efforts continue. The powerful 7.7-magnitude quake, which struck on Friday, has left thousands injured and missing, further complicating relief efforts in a country already plagued by civil war.
Myanmar’s military leader, Min Aung Hlaing, announced in a televised address on Tuesday that 4,521 people had been injured, while 441 were missing, according to Reuters. As rescue workers sift through the rubble of collapsed buildings, fears are mounting that the number of casualties will keep rising in the coming days.
Aid organisations warning of severe food shortages
The hardest-hit regions, including Mandalay, are struggling to cope with the scale of devastation. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 50 children and two teachers were killed when their preschool collapsed. Aid organizations are warning of severe shortages of food, water, and medical supplies, with thousands of displaced residents forced to sleep outdoors.
People spending nights in open
“Having survived the terror of the earthquake, people now fear aftershocks and are spending nights in the open,” said an International Rescue Committee (IRC) worker in Mandalay.
Efforts to deliver aid have been hindered by Myanmar’s ongoing civil war. Amnesty International has called on the junta to allow unrestricted humanitarian access to affected areas, particularly those outside its control. Rebel groups have accused the military of continuing airstrikes even after the disaster, further obstructing relief operations.
“Myanmar’s military has a history of blocking aid to regions controlled by opposition forces,” said Amnesty’s Myanmar researcher Joe Freeman. “It must immediately grant humanitarian organizations full access and remove bureaucratic obstacles that are delaying relief efforts.”
Myanmar observed a minute of silence
On Tuesday, Myanmar observed a minute of silence in memory of the earthquake victims, as fears of a rising death toll loomed over rescue operations.
Rescue operations underway in Thailand
Meanwhile, in Thailand, search teams continued working at the site of a collapsed skyscraper in Bangkok. Rescuers remained hopeful of finding survivors but acknowledged that the chances were dwindling, given that four days had passed since the quake.
“There are about 70 bodies underneath… and we hope by some miracle one or two are still alive,” said Bin Bunluerit, a volunteer rescue leader. Bangkok deputy governor Tavida Kamolvej confirmed that scanners had detected six human-shaped figures but showed no signs of movement or life. Local and international rescue teams, including personnel from the US and Israel, are involved in the complex operation.
So far, 13 deaths have been confirmed at the collapsed building site, with 74 people still missing. Thailand’s total death toll from the earthquake stands at 20, but officials warn it could rise as more bodies are recovered.
Investigations into the Bangkok building collapse revealed that some steel samples did not meet safety standards, prompting the Thai industry ministry to launch an inquiry into the structural failure.
As rescue workers in both Myanmar and Thailand continue their desperate search for survivors, aid groups stress that time is running out, and the true scale of the disaster may not be known for days to come.
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