‘s military junta on Tuesday said with more than 4,500 injured and hundreds of others missing. The number of dead is widely expected to rise significantly.
The deputy head of mission at the German Embassy in Yangon, Bianca Drogosch, told DW the death toll will likely be far higher than it currently stands.
“The real death toll is likely a lot higher, somewhere between 10,000 and 100,000 according to estimates in Mandalay alone,” Drogosch said.
Survivors still being rescued
The latest reported deaths come as .
In Myanmar’s capital, Naypyitaw, situated 168 miles (270 kilometers) south of Mandalay — — the local fire department managed to rescue a woman trapped in rubble.
The rescue of the 63-year-old came 91 hours after she was buried when the building she was in collapsed.
In search and rescue, the .
Large parts of Myanmar impacted
Most reports coming out of Myanmar are from Mandalay, the second-largest city, and Naypyitaw — but a large swathe of the country has been impacted. Many areas remain without power and communications, meaning the full extent of the loss and damage is not yet known.
“The needs are massive, and they are rising by the hour,” said Julia Rees, UNICEF’s deputy representative for Myanmar.
“The window for lifesaving response is closing,” Rees added. “Across the affected areas, families are facing acute shortages of clean water, food, and medical supplies.”
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said local search and rescue teams supported by international contingents, including China, India, Russia, Thailand and Bangladesh, had been “intensifying their efforts” with particular focus in the central part of the country where the UN said aftershocks were still taking place.
Even before the earthquake, more than 3 million people had been forced from their homes by Myanmar’s civil war with more than 20 million considered to be in need, according to the UN.
Rebel alliance declares ceasefire
In a bid to support international humanitarian efforts, the Three Brotherhood Alliance said it would not conduct offensive operations for a month to allow rescue efforts to proceed.
The alliance, comprised of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, and the Arakan Army, said it would only engage in self-defense.
“We strongly desire that urgent humanitarian efforts, which are immediately needed for the earthquake-affected population, be carried out as swiftly and effectively as possible,” it said in a joint statement.
Myanmar has been in a state of political turmoil since the military toppled the democratically elected government in February 2021.
The coup sparked mass protests, which evolved into a major anti-junta uprising, particularly in regions dominated by ethnic minorities.
Those opposing the military regime have formed alliances comprising ethnic groups and civilian-led defense forces.
Amnesty International calls on Junta to halt attacks
Amnesty International, meanwhile, called on the junta to refrain from deliberate attacks on civilian targets in areas impacted by last week’s earthquake.
“Myanmar’s military, along with all other actors involved in earthquake relief efforts, must ensure that human rights principles are fully respected and that the humanitarian needs of survivors are the top priority,” Amnesty International’s Myanmar researcher Joe Freeman said.
“You cannot ask for aid with one hand and bomb with the other. Carrying out air strikes and attacking civilians in the same region where the earthquake struck is inhumane and shows a blatant disregard for human rights,” Freeman said.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
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