Myanmar Quake: The death toll from Myanmar’s earthquake continued to rise on Sunday, as foreign aid and rescue teams arrived in the struggling nation, where overwhelmed hospitals and resource-starved communities scrambled to save lives.
The 7.7-magnitude quake, one of Myanmar’s strongest in a century, jolted the Southeast Asian nation on Friday, leaving around 1,700 people dead, 3,400 injured, and over 300 missing as of Sunday.
India, China, and Thailand are among Myanmar’s neighbors that have sent relief materials and teams, along with aid and personnel from Malaysia, Singapore, and Russia.
The United States pledged $2 million in aid and said in a statement that an emergency response team from USAID is deploying to Myanmar.
Critical infrastructure – including bridges, highways, airports, and railways – across the country of 55 million has been damaged.
The quake also shook parts of neighboring Thailand, bringing down an under-construction skyscraper and killing 18 people across the capital.
At least 76 people remained trapped under the debris of the collapsed Bangkok building, where rescue operations continued for a third day, using drones and sniffer dogs to hunt for survivors. (SHABD)
