The death toll from the earthquake that hit Myanmar on Friday has risen to more than 1,700, as hundreds of people are still missing.
Army General Zaw Min Tun, spokesman for the country’s military-led government, told state-run MRTV that another 3,400 people had been injured and more than 300 were missing.
The true number of people killed and injured is thought to be possibly many times the official figures.
Friday’s earthquake with an epicentre near Mandalay – Myanmar’s second-largest city – was followed by a number of aftershocks, including one with a magnitude of 6.4.
The quake hit during the time of Friday prayers for the country’s Muslim minority during the holy month of Ramadan.
Some 700 worshippers were killed when mosques collapsed, said Tun Kyi, a member of the steering committee of the Spring Revolution Myanmar Muslim Network. It was not clear whether they were already included in the official count of casualties.
Several mosques were toppled during the quake, forcing people to flee from the surrounding areas, and it also brought down buildings and damaged other infrastructure like the city’s airport.
In Mandalay, 270 monks were taking a religious exam at the U Hla Thein monastery when the quake hit, crumpling the building.
Rescue workers at the scene Monday said 70 were able to escape, but 50 have already been found dead and 150 are still unaccounted for.
Beyond the earthquake damage, rescue efforts are complicated by the bloody civil war roiling much of the country, including in quake-affected areas.
In 2021, the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has since turned into significant armed resistance.
Government forces have lost control of much of Myanmar, and many places are dangerous or impossible for aid groups to reach.
More than three million people have been displaced by the fighting and nearly 20 million are in need, according to the United Nations.
“We’re really not clear on the scale of the destruction at this stage,” Lauren Ellery, deputy director of programs in Myanmar for the International Rescue Committee, said.
There is a state of emergency in six regions, and Ms Ellery said her teams on the ground and their local partners are currently assessing where needs are the greatest, while providing emergency medical care, humanitarian supplies and other assistance.
“They were talking about a town near Mandalay where 80% of the buildings were reportedly collapsed, but it wasn’t in the news because telecommunications have been slow,” she said.
“Even in areas where there isn’t so much impact, our partner reported to us on Saturday that there were landslides stopping them from reaching one of the villages.”
Since the earthquake, many people have been sleeping outside, either because their homes have been destroyed or because they are worried that the continuing aftershocks might bring them down.
With the monsoon rains starting in May, finding people shelter was going to be a major challenge going ahead, Ms Ellery said.
The earthquake also shocked neighbouring Thailand and killed at least 18 people, many at a construction site in Bangkok where a partially built high-rise collapsed.
Another 33 have been reported injured and 78 missing, primarily at the construction site near the popular Chatuchak market.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters at the scene that signs of life had been detected Sunday night, though experts could not determine whether it had been a machine error.
Nonetheless, he said he still had hope survivors would be found.
“Even if one life is saved, it is worth all the effort,” he said.
The European Union, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and others have announced millions of dollars in aid, either directly or through local partners and international organisations.
US President Donald Trump has said Washington would help, but so far there has been no known assistance to Myanmar.
A small number of American military personnel were sent to assist in Bangkok.
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