Search and rescue efforts continue 7 days after deadly Myanmar quakes

ISTANBUL

Search and rescue efforts remained underway Friday, one week after powerful earthquakes devastated central Myanmar, leaving thousands dead and injured.

The death toll rose to 3,145, with 4,589 injured and 221 still unaccounted for, Xinhua News reported.

The country has recorded 66 aftershocks since the initial tremors, with magnitudes ranging between 2.8 and 7.5.

Mandalay remains the hardest-hit region, with 2,053 deaths and 2,691 injuries. The capital Nay Pyi Taw reported 511 deaths and 842 injuries.

In Thailand, at least 22 people were killed and 70 others remain missing after an under-construction skyscraper collapsed during the tremors.

The 7.7 and 6.4 magnitude earthquakes struck last Friday, impacting Myanmar’s central region, home to 28 million people. The quakes leveled buildings and left communities without food, water, or shelter.

UN chief Antonio Guterres announced plans to dispatch a humanitarian and emergency relief coordinator and a special envoy to Myanmar, also urging a political resolution to the ongoing internal conflict.

"This solution must include the pathway for the safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable return of the Rohingya from Bangladesh," he said in a video message.

He added that the UN "will stand with the people of Myanmar in this difficult time."