OAN Staff Abril Elfi
8:19 AM – Sunday, March 30, 2025
The death toll following a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has risen to nearly 1,700.
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According to the Associated Press, the earthquake and its aftershock have left 1,644 people dead, 3,400 injured and over 300 missing as of Sunday.
The quake, one of Myanmar’s strongest in a century, first hit on Friday near Mandalay. The shallow tremor struck central Myanmar in the afternoon, and was followed just minutes later by a 6.4 magnitude aftershock.
In neighboring Thailand, the death toll reached 17. The earthquake shook the greater Bangkok area. Bangkok authorities reported that of the death toll, 10 people were killed when a high-rise building near the famous Chatuchak market fell, leaving 83 others still missing.
Hundreds of people who have been displaced in Mandalay have been sleeping on the streets.
Cara Bragg, the Yangon-based manager of Catholic Relief Services in Myanmar, said that many rescue efforts so far have been undertaken by people working by hand to try and clear rubble.
“It’s mainly been local volunteers, local people who are just trying to find their loved ones,” Bragg said.
“I’ve also seen reports that now some countries are sending search and rescue teams up to Mandalay to support the efforts, but hospitals are really struggling to cope with the influx of injured people, there’s a shortage of medical supplies, and people are struggling to find food and clean water,” Bragg added.
Two Indian C-17 military transport aircraft landed late Saturday at Naypitaw with a field hospital unit and some 120 staff, who were then scheduled to drive north to Mandalay to create a 60-bed emergency treatment center, according to the country’s Foreign Ministry. Other Indian supplies were flown into Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, which has been the focal point of other international aid efforts.
An initial report on earthquake relief efforts issued Saturday by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated the severe damage of many health facilities, warning a “severe shortage of medical supplies is hampering response efforts, including trauma kits, blood bags, anesthetics, assistive devices, essential medicines, and tents for health workers.”
China stated that it has sent around 135 rescue troops and experts, as well as supplies such as medical kits and generators, and has contributed over $13.8 million in emergency help. Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said it had flown 120 rescuers and supplies to Yangon, while the Health Ministry said it had dispatched a medical team.
Teams from Singapore have already been working in Naypitaw. Malaysia dispatched a team of 50 personnel on Sunday, including trucks, search and rescue equipment, and medical supplies. Thailand reported 55 soldiers landed in Yangon on Sunday to assist with search and rescue operations, while Britain launched a $13 million relief package to assist its domestically sponsored partners in Myanmar who are already responding to the disaster.
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