Myanmar: Myanmar earthquake death toll reaches 1,700

The death toll from the earthquake that hit Myanmar has risen to 1,700 , the country’s military-led government said on Monday, as more bodies were pulled from the rubble. Government spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun told state-owned MRTV that another 3,400 people were injured and more than 300 were missing . The military had previously reported 1,644 dead but did not provide specific figures in its update.

The 7.7-magnitude earthquake
struck the capital Naypyitaw and the second-largest city Mandalay on Friday afternoon, causing widespread damage, including in the capital Naypyitaw and the country’s second-largest city. It was the time for Friday prayers for the country’s Muslim minority during the holy month of Ramadan, and nearly 700 worshippers died when mosques collapsed, said Tun Kyi, a member of the steering committee of the Spring Revolution Myanmar Muslim Network. It was not clear whether they had already been included in the official death toll.

About 60 mosques were damaged
Tun Kyi said about 60 mosques were damaged or destroyed in the quake, and videos posted on The Irrawaddy online news site showed several mosques collapsing and people fleeing the areas during the quake.
The death toll from the storm is expected to be many times higher than official figures, but little is known about the damage in many areas, due to telecommunications outages and severe challenges to travel across the country. “We don’t really have a clear picture of the extent of the destruction at this stage,” Lauren Ellery, deputy director of programs in Myanmar for the International Rescue Committee, told The Associated Press.
Emergency medical care
is an emergency in six areas, and Ellery said his teams on the ground and their local partners are currently assessing where the needs are greatest, providing emergency medical care, humanitarian supplies and other assistance. “They were talking about a town near Mandalay where 80% of buildings were reported to have collapsed, but it wasn’t in the news because telecommunications were slow,” she said.
“Even in less affected areas, our partner reported to us on Saturday that landslides had blocked access to one village.”
Lack of heavy machinery slows relief efforts
The quake, centered near Mandalay, a city of about 1.5 million people, toppled buildings and damaged other infrastructure, such as the city’s airport. The lack of heavy machinery slowed search and rescue operations, forcing many to search slowly for survivors in the relentless heat, with daily temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
Neighboring Thailand also shaken by
the earthquake The earthquake also shook neighboring Thailand, killing at least 18 people, many of them in a partially constructed high-rise building that collapsed at a construction site in Bangkok. Another 33 people were injured and 78 were reported missing, mainly at a construction site near the famous Chatuchak market. Heavy equipment was shut down and onlookers were asked to remain quiet while authorities used machines to search for any life signs from under the rubble. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittiphunt told reporters at the scene on Sunday night that experts could not confirm whether it was caused by a mechanical fault.