Earthquake death toll exceeds 3,000, junta says
The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck Myanmar on Friday has risen to 3,085, with 4,715 people injured and 341 still missing as of Thursday morning, according to the junta’s state media. The number is expected to rise as rescuers race against time in search of survivors in the ruins.
Myanmar Junta Chief Heads to Thailand as Airstrikes Add to Quake Devastation
Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing left for Bangkok on Thursday to attend a regional summit, as the country reels in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake and ongoing regime airstrikes and ground assaults.
The two-day meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), hosted by Thailand, will see the junta boss hold sideline talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, The Irrawaddy has learned. India was among the first countries to send quake aid and rescue teams to Myanmar.
The BIMSTEC regional bloc consists of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Junta state media announced on Wednesday that Min Aung Hlaing would join the summit on Thursday and Friday. His trip will reportedly include discussions with senior regional government officials on Myanmar’s post-quake situation and ongoing rescue and relief efforts.
NUCC: Junta airstrikes kill over 50 civilians in quake aftermath
In the five days after Myanmar’s March 28 earthquake, the military regime launched 32 airstrikes on 11 locations, including quake-devasted Sagaing and Mandalay, killing at least 50 civilians and injuring 49 others, the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) reports.
The NUCC, which advises the civilian National Unity Government, condemned the brutal attacks on already devastated communities and called on the international community to take immediate action to halt the air assaults before more innocent lives are lost. Five days after the quake, the military regime followed the lead of resistance groups by declaring a temporary truce. However, it continued to carry out air and artillery strikes on Wednesday and Thursday.
Indian Army field hospital begins operations in Mandalay
The Indian Army has established a 200-bed field hospital in Mandalay as part of its ongoing humanitarian assistance mission to Myanmar following the deadly 7.7-magnitude earthquake that has left more than 3,000 people dead and hundreds injured. With a staff of 118 personnel, the hospital was deployed using two Indian Air Force C-17 heavy-lift aircraft and began operations on Tuesday, offering surgical and in-patient care. On the first day alone, it treated 104 patients and performed two life-saving surgeries, Indian media reported.
Myanmar Suffers Nearly 70 Aftershocks Within a Week
Myanmar has experienced 67 aftershocks since the powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake on March 28, according to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.
The tremors have been felt primarily in Mandalay, Sagaing, Naypyitaw, southern Shan State, Yangon, Bago, and Ayeyarwaddy regions, with magnitudes ranging from 2.8 to 7.5 on the Richter scale.
In Mandalay, residents have set up temporary shelters in open spaces due to fear of ongoing tremors. “People are very worried because aftershocks keep happening,” a local told RFA.
“Buildings have collapsed, walls have cracked—many are no longer safe to stay in. We’ve lost hope for our homes; now, we just want to survive.”
The official death toll had risen to 3,085 as of Thursday morning with 4,715 injured and 341 missing. The UN estimates that around 7 million people have been affected by the disaster.
Junta evicts quake victims from makeshift camp at Mandalay Palace
The Mandalay Region government has told earthquake victims camping around the Mandalay Palace Moat after their homes nearby were destroyed to move to a junta-built relief camp near Kuthodaw Pagoda.
But residents say they do not want to move to the relief camp, which is around a 10-minute-drive from their homes. The regime has reportedly erected 80 makeshift shelters near the pagoda.
Japanese envoy meets junta boss, donates $3 million to quake relief
Yohei Sasakawa, Japan’s special envoy for national reconciliation in Myanmar, met with junta boss Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyitaw on Wednesday and donated US$3 million worth of food and relief supplies for earthquake victims through his philanthropist Nippon Foundation. Sasakawa has a close relationship with Min Aung Hlaing, and previously negotiated a ceasefire between the Myanmar military and the ethnic Arakan Army.
Japanese quake relief mission arrives in Myanmar
A flight carrying doctors, nurses and quake relief supplies including medicines and tents supplied by the Japan International Cooperation Agency arrived at Yangon International Airport on Wednesday, the regime said.
