The death toll from the earthquake in Myanmar on March 28 has exceeded 2,000, according to local authorities, Adyrna national portal reports, citing Euronews.
According to local authorities, approximately 3,900 people were injured, and another 270 are missing. A week of national mourning has been declared in the country.
Rescuers are pulling people from the rubble, but survivors are rare. Local media report that bodies are being carried away by the current, and city crematoriums are struggling to keep up.
The 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck on Friday afternoon, causing massive destruction in the capital, Naypyidaw, and Myanmar’s second-largest city, Mandalay. Thousands of buildings, including places of worship where Muslims were praying at the end of Ramadan, residential buildings, bridges, and mosques, were destroyed.
Rescue efforts are being hampered by damaged roads, poor or non-existent communication, high temperatures, and the ongoing civil war in the country. On Saturday, armed rebels announced a temporary halt to hostilities in some regions.
Homeless residents and those fearing aftershocks were forced to sleep in the streets. The UN has declared a humanitarian disaster, citing shortages of drinking water, food, and medicine.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched an emergency appeal to raise $8 million to “provide aid, prevent disease outbreaks, and restore essential medical services” in Myanmar.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the death toll could exceed 10,000 and that economic losses will be no less than 100% of the country’s GDP.
The earthquake was also felt in China and Thailand, where local authorities reported 18 deaths. In Bangkok, rescue operations continue at the site of a collapsed high-rise building, where dozens of people may still be trapped.
