The death toll from two earthquakes measuring 7.7 and 6.4 on the Richter scale that struck Myanmar has risen to 3,354.
The Global New Light of Myanmar, a newspaper controlled by Myanmar’s military government, has reported that the death toll and injuries from the earthquakes that struck the country on March 28 have risen.
The death toll has risen to 3,354 and the number of injured to 4,850.
Search and rescue teams have rescued 653 people trapped under the rubble, and efforts are continuing to search for more than 200 people who are missing.
The French representative to the United Nations (UN) and current president of the UN Security Council (UNSC), Jerome Bonnafont, said member states had agreed to step up relief, rescue and development efforts for the people of Myanmar.
Addressing concerns that Myanmar’s military administration is preventing the transport of aid to areas controlled by insurgent groups, Bonnafont noted that member states are stressing the importance of creating a safe and enabling environment for humanitarian assistance to reach those in need without hindrance and without discrimination.
Two earthquakes measuring 7.7 and 6.4 on the Richter scale struck regions near Sagaing in central Myanmar on March 28.
The earthquake was also strongly felt in neighboring Thailand and China.
