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More than 3,000 people have now died from the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Burma last week, which destroyed thousands of buildings and sent the war-torn country into a deeper humanitarian crisis.
Burma’s military-led government announced that the death toll from Friday’s earthquake rose to 3,085, while 4,715 people were injured and another 341 are missing.
“With infrastructure compromised and patient numbers surging, access to health care has become nearly impossible in many of the worst-hit areas,” according to the U.N. “Thousands of people are in urgent need of trauma care, surgical interventions and treatment for disease outbreaks.”
The World Health Organization assessed so far that four hospitals and one health center had been completely destroyed, while another 32 hospitals and 18 health centers had been partially damaged.
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescuers conduct searches for survivors at the collapsed Sky Villa residence in Mandalay, Burma, on Tuesday, April 1. (Cai Yang/Xinhua via AP)
More than 1,550 international rescuers were operating alongside locals on Thursday, according to a statement from the military. Rescue supplies and equipment have been sent by 17 countries.
Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into a civil war.
The quake worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis, with more than 3 million people displaced from their homes and nearly 20 million in need even before it hit, according to the U.N.
Patients lie on beds inside the compound of Sagaing Hospital in Sagaing, Burma. (Reuters/Stringer/TPX Images of the Day)
Twenty-two people were killed and 35 injured in the city, mostly by the collapse of the unfinished building.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
