The death toll from a major earthquake in Myanmar has risen to 2,056, the junta said on Monday. More than 3,900 people were injured.
A statement from a junta spokesperson said that 270 more people were still missing. It has also declared a week of national mourning and directed that national flags will fly at half-mast until April 6 “in sympathy for the loss of life and damages.”
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The announcement came as the tempo and urgency of rescue efforts wound down in Mandalay, one of the worst-affected cities and the country’s second-largest, with more than 1.7 million inhabitants.
“The situation is so dire that it’s hard to express what is happening,” said Aung Myint Hussein, chief administrator of Mandalay’s Sajja North mosque, AFP reported.
People camp out in streets
According to AFP, people camped out in the streets across Mandalay for a third successive night because they were either unable to return to their ruined homes or were nervous about the repeated aftershocks that rattled the city over the weekend.
Some had tents, but many, including young children, simply slept on blankets in the middle of the roads, trying to stay as far away from buildings.
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Among those killed in the quake were also three Chinese nationals and two French people, reported AFP, citing China’s state media and the foreign ministry in Paris.
However, with communications down in much of Myanmar, the true scale of the disaster has yet to emerge and the death toll is expected to rise significantly.
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The 7.7 earthquake left wide cracks on roads, brought down buildings, and sent tremors across neighbouring countries, including China, Thailand, Vietnam and parts of India.
At least 19 deaths have been confirmed in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, where the force of the quake caused a 30-storey tower block under construction to collapse.
