One month after being rocked by a devastating earthquake, millions of people in Myanmar remain in need of more humanitarian assistance from the international community to help with the recovery process that could take months and even years, aid groups said while China's relief efforts were appreciated.

More than 6.3 million people are in urgent need of support, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Myanmar, Marcoluigi Corsi, said in a statement on Monday.

Additional and quick disbursement of resources and sustained access to all communities are vital to ensure the situation does not deteriorate further for people already living with severe needs, Corsi said.

"I call on the international community to stand with them — and to support their right to live in safety and dignity," the UN official added.

On March 28, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar. The toll stood at 3,770 people killed and over 5,000 people injured as of Monday, the state-owned daily The Mirror reported.

More than 150 aftershocks have taken place since the quake, according to Myanmar's Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.

"Thousands and thousands of families are still living out in the open. They are living in the tents or under tarpaulins that they have put together with wooden poles," said Nadia Khoury, head of delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, or IFRC, in Myanmar.

As the cyclone and monsoon seasons will start soon, Khoury told China Daily that the situation will be even more challenging, so more support from the international community is needed.

Khoury said the IFRC has been working with its members, including the Myanmar Red Cross Society, to provide safe drinking water, mobile clinic service, emergency shelter and relief items, as well as specific items to meet the needs of children and women.

Emergency appeal

"We are also very eager to swiftly move for early recovery for those individuals," said Khoury, adding the IFRC had launched a 100 million Swiss Francs ($121 million) emergency appeal.

Khoury praised the quick response by the Red Cross Society of China, or RCSC, which sent a rescue team just one day after the earthquake.

"They have provided very generous support," Khoury said, adding that she expects more cooperation with the RCSC in terms of expertise sharing and distribution of relief items.

Apart from the 100 million yuan ($13.7 million) worth of emergency humanitarian aid announced soon after the earthquake, China also pledged 1 billion yuan in additional aid to Myanmar, with expert teams to be sent for healthcare and reconstruction, according to the Chinese embassy in Myanmar.

Globally, a number of organizations have launched fundraising appeals to support Myanmar. On April 28, the United Nations Population Fund launched a flash appeal for $12 million to provide assistance to nearly 700,000 people, with a focus on essential sexual and reproductive health services.

Noting that the earthquake has exacerbated preexisting vulnerabilities in Myanmar, which is facing severe humanitarian challenges due to domestic conflict, the International Rescue Committee, a nongovernmental organization in New York, said in a statement that more funding is required to deliver life-saving aid, restore essential services, and prevent further loss of life.

YANGON -- The death toll from a 7.9-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has risen to 3,770 as of April 28, the state-owned daily The Mirror reported on Tuesday.

In addition, 5,106 people were injured and 106 people were reported missing, the report said.

YANGON -- Myanmar has experienced a total of 157 aftershocks following the devastating 7.9-magnitude earthquake on March 28, the country's Department of Meteorology and Hydrology reported on Monday.

The aftershocks ranged from magnitude 2.8 to 7.5, the department said.

As of April 25, the death toll from the earthquake has risen to 3,763, while 5,107 people were injured and 110 people reported missing, the official daily Myanma Alinn reported.

YANGON -- More than 200,000 people have been displaced after a powerful 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar on March 28, the official daily The Mirror reported Saturday, citing the National Disaster Management Committee (NDMC).

At the NDMC's third meeting of the year, held Friday in Nay Pyi Taw, Committee Chairman Vice Senior General Soe Win said the earthquake caused widespread destruction across 10 regions and states, including Nay Pyi Taw, Sagaing, Mandalay, Bago, Magway, and Shan.

He reported that 3,763 people have been killed and 5,107 injured, while 110 remained missing as of Friday. In total, 629,206 people from 128,965 households were directly affected.

As of April 23, 48,656 of the total displaced people have been sheltering in 135 rescue centers, while 159,239 others have relocated independently, according to the report.

Despite being affected, more than 421,000 people have remained in their homes as their houses are still livable, Soe Win said.

Search and rescue operations, along with damage assessments and recovery work, are underway in hard-hit areas like Sagaing, Mandalay, and Nay Pyi Taw, he added.

The earthquake destroyed or damaged over 63,000 homes, 6,700 schools, 5,400 monasteries, 5,300 pagodas, and hundreds of other religious buildings, hospitals, bridges, roads, and dams, he said.

International medical teams, including 337 foreign personnel, have set up temporary hospitals in the worst-affected areas and are providing care alongside local health workers.

Soe Win said the funds donated by local and international donors via the NDMC are being systematically distributed for rescue and recovery efforts.

Following a request for international assistance by the Myanmar government, 2,095 rescue workers from 26 countries and regions have arrived in Myanmar, bringing over 3,800 tons of relief supplies using 147 planes, seven ships, and 23 vehicles, he added.

Authorities are inspecting damaged buildings using a color-coded system -- blue, orange, and red -- to assess structural damage and guide repairs.

Temporary housing, including bashas and modular shelters, is being built for displaced staff and residents, while plans are underway to reconstruct homes using earthquake-resistant designs based on soil testing and fault-line assessments.

Since the earthquake on March 28, Myanmar has experienced over 150 aftershocks, and rescue and recovery operations are ongoing, the report said.

YANGON -- The ninth batch of emergency humanitarian aid supplies dispatched by the Chinese government on Saturday arrived in Yangon, Myanmar, according to a statement released by the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar on Saturday.

The aid supplies included 68,000 doses of tetanus vaccines (adsorbed), 570,000 doses of recombinant B subunit cholera vaccine for adults, and 77,910 doses of recombinant B subunit cholera vaccine for children, the statement said.

A 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on March 28. As of April 26, the earthquake has claimed 3,769 lives and injured 5,106 people, with 107 others remaining unaccounted for, according to Myanmar's official data.

YANGON -- The death toll from a 7.9-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has risen to 3,763 as of Friday, the official daily Myanma Alinn reported on Saturday.

In addition, 5,107 people were injured and 110 people reported missing, the report said.

At the request of the Myanmar government, China has dispatched a team to assess disaster losses following a 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the Southeast Asian country in late March, according to the China Earthquake Administration.

The team, organized by the administration, was sent last Wednesday and is expected to provide scientific support for Myanmar's post-disaster reconstruction and disaster prevention efforts, the agency said in a statement.

Composed of 30 experts from universities and research institutions across China, the team has completed disaster investigations and assessments in Yangon, Bago and Nay Pyi Taw. The experts evaluated the earthquake's intensity and scope in these areas and offered recommendations for emergency response and repair of damaged homes.

On Tuesday, the team moved to Mandalay to continue its work.

According to the administration, this is the first professional assessment team sent by the Chinese government to the quake-hit region in Myanmar after local efforts transitioned from emergency rescue to epidemic prevention and recovery.

YANGON -- As of Tuesday, 52 people have been rescued, and 103 bodies have been recovered from the collapsed Sky Villa condo in central Myanmar's Mandalay region, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Wednesday.

The building collapsed after a powerful earthquake struck on March 28, the report said.

The Myanmar Rescue Team, Mandalay Region Fire Services Department, and the Mandalay Region government personnel have been carrying out rescue and clearance operations since March 28 at the collapsed site of Sky Villa, it added.

The earthquake has caused the deaths of 3,759 people and injuries to 5,107 others, with 114 individuals still reported missing nationwide as of Tuesday, according to Global New Light of Myanmar.

Fifty Chinese health workers departed on Saturday from Kunming, Yunnan province, to assist Myanmar with its epidemic prevention efforts following a magnitude 7.9 earthquake that devastated the country in late March.

The team's deployment is part of China's ongoing post-disaster relief mission. Its trip marks China's second health and epidemic prevention aid mission to Myanmar. The first team returned on April 6 after a nine-day deployment.

According to Chen Lei, deputy director of the emergency response department of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration and leader of the team, the earthquake caused severe damage to public health infrastructure. Combined with extreme heat and heavy rainfall, the region is now facing a complex and critical epidemic situation involving diseases such as cholera, measles, dengue fever and malaria.

The team will be stationed in Mandalay, one of the hardest-hit areas, and will assist with infectious disease control, risk assessment, disease surveillance, laboratory testing, epidemiological investigations, environmental disinfection, vector control, drinking water hygiene testing, health education and technical training.

The earthquake, which struck on March 28, killed 3,726 people and injured 5,105, with 129 others still unaccounted for as of April 18, according to the information team of Myanmar's State Administration Council.

He Jibo, 47, from the Yunnan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, was a member of the first team. He recalled the hardships they endured, including extreme heat, limited access to food and water, fear of aftershocks and swarms of mosquitoes, but also noted the warmth of local residents and the strength of the China-Myanmar friendship forged through adversity.

He and four other colleagues were tasked with testing water quality at a hospital in Nay Pyi Daw, Myanmar's capital, where many of the earthquake's victims were being treated. With much of the hospital's infrastructure destroyed, patients were housed in tents in the parking lot.

The team tested water for eight indicators, including residual chlorine, total chlorine, pH and hexavalent chromium.

"We exchanged two big bottles of water for the specimen we tested. They were very moved," He said. "One local worker showed me they only had a small bag of dried food for the whole day, and said they didn't have medicine. We immediately donated six bottles of water. He was very happy."

Temperatures soared to 40 C, and mosquitoes were everywhere, making prevention of vector-borne diseases such as dengue fever and malaria a top priority.

The Chinese team conducted health surveys, distributed mosquito insecticide and manual sprayers, and provided disinfectants that helped alleviate a severe local shortage. Other focuses included heatstroke prevention and waste disposal.

The health workers had little time to prepare.

"We took our luggage and left just hours after the earthquake, without saying goodbye to our families," He said.

Since 2018, the team has undergone monthly training that includes trekking 5 to 8 kilometers with 23- to 28-kilogram backpacks, simulating conditions they may face in the field. They are trained in water testing, disinfection, camp building and emergency survival skills.

Zheng Erda, another team member, said that training proved invaluable.

"I used to think the backpack was too heavy, but now every time I go out, I want to bring 10 more bottles of water," Zheng said.

Zhao Xiaonan, 39, agreed, saying the training helped them endure extreme conditions.

"It felt like the whole Earth was burning," he said.

To ward off mosquitoes, they dripped medicated oil into their face masks. Communication was difficult, and the first two nights were sleepless. Their initial shelter was a damaged building with barely any ceiling.

"We wore helmets indoors, installed warning devices and mapped out an escape route," Zhao said. "What was funny was that just after we arrived, an aftershock hit and we all ran out."

He Jibo said he was touched by the support of local volunteers, who provided fruit, phone cards, slippers and towels, and helped interpret and make local contacts.

Zheng said the experience underscored the importance of their work. "I feel a strong sense of accomplishment."

U Than Htike, vice-president of the Myanmar-China Friendship Association in Mandalay, praised China's timely support.

"When major disasters strike, China always stands in solidarity with us and offers swift assistance," he said. "Epidemic prevention experts worked tirelessly on the front lines. We are truly grateful."

Yunnan has a long history of cooperation with Myanmar in public health, including donations of vaccines and medicines, training of local medical staff, and the establishment of testing labs and joint epidemic monitoring stations, according to the Yunnan Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at chenmeiling@chinadaily.com.cn

YANGON -- The seventh batch of emergency humanitarian aid supplies dispatched by the Chinese government on Sunday arrived at Yangon International Airport, Myanmar, which was hit by a devastating 7.9-magnitude earthquake on March 28.

The aid supplies include 800,000 boxes of amoxicillin capsules, 122,000 bottles of paracetamol and mannitol injection, 225,000 boxes of cefradine capsules, and 480,000 bottles of ibuprofen tablets, with a total weight of 95 tons.

The earthquake has claimed 3,726 lives and injuring 5,105 people, with 129 others remaining unaccounted for as of April 18, according to Myanmar's official data.

KUNMING -- A Chinese health team consisting of 50 members departed for Myanmar on Saturday to assist with post-disaster epidemic prevention following a 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the country in March.

The team, assembled at Myanmar's request as part of China's expanded humanitarian aid announced on April 10, includes 12 members from Beijing and 38 medical experts from Kunming, capital city of Southwest China's Yunnan province.

Equipped with emergency medical supplies and equipment, the team will focus on mitigating disease risks in quake-affected regions.

The team will work primarily in Mandalay, one of the hardest-hit regions, to implement disease prevention and control measures. Tasks will include infectious disease risk assessment, epidemiological surveillance, laboratory testing, environmental disinfection, vector control, drinking water safety inspection, public health education, and technical training for local personnel.

The team includes experts from the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration (NDCPA) and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Chen Lei, deputy director of the NDCPA's emergency response department and leader of the mission, said that the earthquake has severely damaged public health infrastructure, and that extreme heat and torrential rains have exacerbated outbreaks of cholera, measles, dengue fever and malaria.

The earthquake jolted Myanmar on March 28, claiming 3,726 lives and injuring 5,105 people, with 129 others remaining unaccounted for as of April 18, according to official data on Saturday.

YANGON -- As the response to Myanmar's 7.9-magnitude earthquake transitions from emergency relief to long-term recovery, there is an urgent need for sustained support in rebuilding housing infrastructures, restoring water and electricity, and enabling economic recovery, Yasmine Praz Dessimoz, director of Operations of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said.

Beyond emergency response, recovery efforts have to be sustained in the long run, for local people to resume a normal life, she told Xinhua in an interview.

Stark challenges persist as earthquake-affected areas face crises like loss of livelihoods, damaged infrastructure and psychological trauma, and the monsoon season threatens makeshift shelters, she said.

The ICRC official said that the organization plans to expand livelihood programs and collaborate with local authorities and international partners, focusing on restoring local livelihood, water and food supply, and the health sector.

The ICRC will work closely with the Myanmar Red Cross Society and partners in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including the Red Cross Society of China, in deploying the best personnel and expertise to address both immediate and systemic vulnerabilities of earthquake-affected regions, she said.

The 7.9-magnitude earthquake, which jolted Myanmar on March 28, has claimed 3,726 lives and left 5,105 people injured, with 129 others remaining unaccounted for as of April 18, according to Myanmar's State Administration Council Information Team on April 19.

The Red Cross Society of China has sent four batches of relief materials and rescue equipment to the earthquake-stricken Myanmar, with a total value of nearly 7.62 million yuan ($1.04 million) and a combined weight of 242.5 metric tons, the organization said on Thursday as it wraps up its international aid mission there.

The magnitude 7.9 earthquake hit Myanmar on March 28, with its epicenter in Mandalay, the country's second-largest city. The quake has killed more than 3,700 people and injured over 5,000.

China's Red Cross said that it has dispatched 37 experienced rescue workers from Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and the provinces of Zhejiang, Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou to carry out emergency rescue operations.

As of Thursday, the organization's rescue team has also set up three temporary settlements that can accommodate about 6,300 people in Mandalay and the nation's capital Nay Pyi Daw.

They have also installed water supply equipment to provide clean water for 15,000 individuals and constructed emergency toilets capable of meeting needs of 5,000 people.

Additionally, they have trained 271 local volunteers in the fields of water supply, public health, tent construction and epidemic prevention and disinfection for Myanmar's Red Cross.

In response to the request of the Myanmar government, the Chinese government has set up a disaster investigation and assessment team consisting of 30 experts to carry out disaster assessment work in Myanmar. On March 28, Myanmar was struck by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake, causing significant damage and loss of life.

YANGON -- The Chinese Embassy in Myanmar confirmed that as of 17:00 Beijing time (0300 GMT) on Saturday, the powerful earthquake in Myanmar has resulted in the deaths of eight Chinese citizens and injuries to 13 others.

The 7.9-magnitude earthquake, which jolted Myanmar on March 28, has claimed 3,689 lives and left 5,020 people injured, with 139 others remaining unaccounted for, according to Myanmar's State Administration Council Information Team on Friday.

YANGON -- The powerful earthquake that struck Myanmar has claimed 3,689 lives and left 5,020 people injured, with 139 others remaining unaccounted for as of Friday, according to the country's State Administration Council Information Team.

China has decided to provide Myanmar with a new batch of emergency humanitarian supplies including refined oil, prefabricated houses, operation rooms, medicines, and vaccines, which are much needed in the country's epidemic prevention and reconstruction after the earthquake last month.

China will also send teams of medical experts to the neighboring country for treatment and disinfection, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a daily news briefing on Thursday.

Experts will also be sent for inspection, assessment and restoration of buildings and cultural relics in the Southeast Asian nation, Lin said.

After the earthquake, over 30 rescue teams with more than 600 rescue workers from China went to Myanmar and multi batches of emergency humanitarian supplies were provided to the country, which displays China's speed, effectiveness and warmth, he said.

China was the first country to announce humanitarian assistance to Myanmar, the first to send rescue teams, he said, adding that it also saved the first survivor in Myanmar and is the first country to set up a settlement center in the earthquake-stricken area.

China's rescue efforts were warmly welcomed and commended by the people in Myanmar, Lin said.

"A merciless disaster brings out the best of humanity," he said, pledging continuous help to the people in Myanmar to overcome the difficulties and rebuild their homes.

The second batch of humanitarian relief supplies donated by the Red Cross Society of China to quake-stricken Myanmar arrived in the city of Mandalay near the epicenter in the evening of Tuesday, said the organization.

China's Red Cross sent four heavy-duty trucks loaded with emergency equipment to address hygiene, epidemic prevention and livelihood needs in affected areas. Key equipment include clean water units, mobile toilets, electric generators, lighting and disinfection devices.

These supplies were transported through a land port in Southwest China's Kunming, Yunan province, and reached Mandalay under the escort of local police.

The 7.9 magnitude quake hit Myanmar with an epicenter near Mandalay on March 28.

The first batch of relief supplies from China's Red Cross comprised mainly tends, blankets, folding beds and family kits arrived in Mandalay on April 2.

Six Chinese citizens dead, 13 injured Myanmar's devastating earthquake: Chinese embassy

BANGKOK — Long-shot efforts to find survivors from Myanmar's devastating March 28 earthquake were winding down on Monday, as rescue efforts were supplanted by increasing relief and recovery activity. The death toll surpassed 3,600 and was still climbing.

A situation report issued on Monday by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said more than 17.2 million people are living in the affected areas, and urgently need food, drinking water, healthcare, cash assistance and emergency shelter.

In the capital Nay Pyi Daw, people cleared debris and collected wood from their damaged houses under drizzling rain, and soldiers removed wreckage at some Buddhist monasteries.

Myanmar Fire Services Department said on Monday that rescue teams had recovered 10 bodies from the rubble of a collapsed building in Mandalay, Myanmar's second-biggest city.

It said international rescuers from Singapore, Malaysia and India had returned to their countries after their work to find survivors was considered completed. The number of rescue teams operating in the residential areas of Nay Pyi Daw has been steadily decreasing.

The magnitude 7.9 quake hit a wide swath of the country, causing significant damage to six regions and states. The earthquake left many areas without power, telephone or cell connections and damaged roads and bridges, making the full extent of the devastation hard to assess.

Zaw Min Tun, a spokesman for the State Administration Council, said on Monday that the quake's death toll has reached 3,600, with 5,017 injured and 160 missing. Search and rescue operations involved 1,738 personnel from 20 countries, and had helped find and extract 653 survivors, he said.

The quake has been officially named the Big Mandalay Earthquake to ensure consistency in future documentation and referencing, he added. Previous significant earthquakes also received official names.

The UN report said: "Entire communities have been upended, forcing people to seek shelter in makeshift conditions, disrupting markets, worsening psychosocial distress and bringing essential services — including running water, sanitation and health — to the verge of collapse.

"People left homeless by the earthquakes are exposed to extreme heat during the country's hottest and driest month of the year, and rains have already started in Mandalay — posing an additional threat to those sheltering in the open."

Agencies via Xinhua