Myanmar earthquake toll crosses 3,000

The toll in the earthquake that struck central Myanmar on March 28 has reached 3,085, AFP quoted the country’s military-led government as stating on Thursday.

The junta said that 4,715 persons were injured and 341 are missing six days after the disaster.

The earthquake of magnitude 7.5 struck central Myanmar’s Mandalay city at 11.50 am local time on March 28. Mandalay is the country’s second-largest city by population.

A second quake, an aftershock measuring 7.0, struck at 12.02 pm, according to India’s National Center for Seismology. The United States Geological Survey said that the magnitude of the first quake was 7.7 and the second was 6.6.

Both quakes were shallow with a depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes tend to be more destructive.

The quake also rattled neighbouring Thailand. At least 19 persons were killed in the capital Bangkok, about 1,000 kms away from Mandalay. About 70 persons are believed to be trapped under the debris of an under-construction building that collapsed due to the earthquakes.

In Myanmar, the junta declared a temporary ceasefire in the civil war on Wednesday to facilitate relief work, reported the Associated Press. The halt will stay in effect till April 22.

The country has been embroiled in civil war since February 2021, when the military junta deposed the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup.

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