Myanmar earthquake death toll surpasses 3,300, state media says

 

YANGON, Myanmar: The death toll from a major earthquake in Myanmar has risen above 3,300, state media says, as the United Nations aid chief made a renewed call for the world to help the disaster-struck nation.

The March 28 quake flattened buildings and destroyed infrastructure across the country, resulting in 3,354 deaths and 4,508 people injured, with 220 others missing, according to new figures published by state media.

More than one week after the disaster, many people in the country are still without shelter, either forced to sleep outdoors because their homes were destroyed or wary of further collapses.

A United Nations estimate suggests that more than three million people may have been affected by the 7.7-magnitude quake, compounding previous challenges caused by four years of civil war.

The UN’s top aid official has met with victims in the central Myanmar city of Mandalay — situated close to the epicenter and now grappling with severe damage across the city.

“The destruction is staggering,” Tom Fletcher writes in a post on X.

“The world must rally behind the people of Myanmar.” (AFP)