The governing military junta announced that the death count from the devastating earthquakes in Myanmar has increased to 2,056. The junta’s figures were unverified by several news agencies after the junta prohibited foreign media from accessing Myanmar to report on the earthquake. Observers indicate that the actual toll is probably greater than the official estimate.
A junta spokesperson reported that 270 additional individuals were still unaccounted for, three days following the shallow quake measuring 7.7 in magnitude on Friday.
The junta, confronting challenges from ethnic armed insurgents, reported that over 3,900 individuals sustained injuries in the earthquake that brought down structures and skyscrapers.
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A report from UK broadcaster Sky News indicated that the exiled NUG government of Myanmar, headed by civil rights figure Aung Sang Suu Kyi, approximates that the death toll has surpassed the somber milestone of 2,400.
Here are the latest updates from Myanmar Earthquake:
- The Myanmar Military Council has prohibited foreign journalists from reporting on the recent earthquake, with spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun mentioning security issues, extensive damage, power failures, and water shortages as justifications for the ban.
- Individuals gathered on the streets throughout Mandalay overnight, either unable to go back to damaged homes or anxious about the ongoing aftershocks.
- An armed resistance group opposing Myanmar’s military-led government condemned the junta on Sunday for carrying out airstrikes on villages while the nation grapples with an earthquake that has claimed approximately 1,700 lives. The Karen National Union, among the oldest ethnic armies in Myanmar, stated that the junta “keeps executing airstrikes aimed at civilian locations, despite the immense suffering of the population from the earthquake.
- Approximately 700 worshippers lost their lives when mosques fell, according to Tun Kyi, a representative of the steering committee of the Spring Revolution Myanmar Muslim Network. It was uncertain if they were already part of the official tally of casualties.
- The actual count of individuals who died or were hurt in the affected regions is believed to be significantly higher than the official statistics. However, due to telecommunication failures and severe difficulties in transportation throughout the country, information regarding the extent of the destruction in numerous locations is scarce, as reported by the Associated Press.
