Death Toll Surpasses 3,000 in Myanmar Earthquake as Recovery Efforts Continue

BANGKOK 5 April,2025

The death toll from Myanmar's colossal earthquake nearly a week ago has risen to 3,085, the military government said, as rescue workers and search teams continued to locate more victims.

In a statement, the military said that 4,715 people are wounded and 341 remain missing.

The 7.7 Richter scale earthquake struck close to Mandalay, the country's second-largest city. It left massive destruction, causing thousands of structures to collapse, damaging roads and bridges in multiple regions.

Local media reports indicate that the number of casualties could be much greater than officially reported by the government. Since most lines of communication have been cut and some regions are inaccessible, the death toll is estimated to be far greater as more information trickles in.

Following the military coup in 2021 that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's democratically elected government, the country has teetered on the edge of civil war.

The earthquake further worsened an already grim humanitarian crisis, with more than 3 million displaced and nearly 20 million needing help even prior to the earthquake, the United Nations said.

Concerned that continued hostilities would hamper relief efforts, the military issued a temporary truce on Wednesday, until April 22. This followed similar proclamations of truces by resisting groups against military rule.

The military, in declaring the truce, said they would continue to take action against any group that would seek to take advantage of the truce to assemble, train, or launch operations.

Bangkok is still searching for bodies and survivors in the rubble of a partially constructed skyscraper that collapsed after the earthquake. Governor Chadchart Sittipunt reported a possible sign of life within the wreckage. The collapse, which caused the majority of the building's damage, resulted in 22 deaths and 35 injuries.