Death Toll In Myanmar Earthquake Raises More Than 3,300 (image @UNReliefChief)
Mandalay, Myanmar: Death toll in 7.7 earthquake that hit Myanmar has risen above 3,300. United Nations aid chief renewed call for the world to help the battered country. The earthquake hit Myanmar on March 28, which killed 3,354 and injured 4,508 so far. 220 others are reportedly missing, as per new figures published by state media on Saturday.
Tom Fletcher, the United Nations’ top aid official met with victims of the disaster in the central Myanmar city of Mandalay, which is situated close to the epicentre. The region is thwarted with severe damage. Fletcher called the destruction “staggering”.
Taking to his X, Fletcher said “The destruction is staggering. Lives lost. Homes destroyed. Livelihoods shattered. But the resilience is incredible. The UN is here to help – the world must rally behind the people of Myanmar”.
In Mandalay #Myanmar meeting communities at epicentre of earthquake.
The destruction is staggering. Lives lost. Homes destroyed. Livelihoods shattered. But the resilience is incredible.
The UN is here to help – the world must rally behind the people of Myanmar. pic.twitter.com/oL6HtUjrVF
— Tom Fletcher (@UNReliefChief) April 5, 2025
The new figure in death toll was announced after the country’s military government chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing returned from a rare foreign trip to a regional summit in Bangkok, where he met with leaders including the Prime Ministers of India and Thailand.
Also Read: Myanmar Earthquake: India Initiates Relief Efforts Under ‘Operation Brahma’
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vouches for a post-quake ceasefire in Myanmar’s civil war to be made permanent, and said the elections needed to be “inclusive and credible”, as per Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
India, China, and Russia were among the first countries to provide support, sending rescue teams to Myanmar to help locate survivors.
US ought to be at the front of the international disaster relief, however, President Donald Trump dismantled Washington’s humanitarian aid agency. The country said that it was adding $7m on top of an earlier $2m in assistance to Myanmar, but added it was unfair to expect the nation to keep leading humanitarian relief around the world.
Also Read: 7.7 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Myanmar; Emergency Declared In Bangkok
Military in Myanmar struggled to run the country after overthrowing the elected civilian government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021. The country has been facing exhaustion in economy and basic services, including healthcare. The situation worsened with the recent earthquake.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the military government was restricting aid supplies to quake-hit areas where communities did not back its rule. The office said it was investigating 53 reported attacks by the military against opponents, including air strikes, of which 16 happened after the ceasefire was declared on Wednesday.
