Naypyidaw [Myanmar], April 6: The number of registered deaths following the devastating earthquake in Myanmar has risen to at least 3,354 people, state television reported on Saturday.
A further 220 people are still missing, the report said. Most of the dead are said to be in the area around Mandalay, the country's second-largest city, where 2,122 bodies have been recovered so far.
"The destruction is staggering. Lives lost. Homes destroyed. Livelihoods shattered. But the resilience is incredible," UN emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher, who is currently in Mandalay, wrote on the X platform on Saturday.
Experts fear that the number of victims could still rise significantly. The 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit the Sagaing region, Mandalay and the capital Naypyidaw a week ago.
A military government has been ruling Myanmar since a coup in 2021. There are armed uprisings against the regime throughout the country.
The military leadership announced a three-week ceasefire on Wednesday in order to facilitate the rescue and reconstruction work, but it restarted military operations shortly afterwards.
Source: Qatar Tribune
