Myanmar observes minute's silence for quake victims

MANDALAY, Myanmar — Myanmar observed a minute's silence on Tuesday in tribute to victims of a catastrophic earthquake that has killed more than 2,000 people, buckling roads and flattening buildings as far away as Bangkok.

Four days after the magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck, many people in Myanmar are still sleeping outdoors, either unable to return to ruined homes or afraid of further aftershocks.

Sirens rang out at 12:51:02 — the precise time the quake struck on Friday — bringing the country to a standstill in remembrance of those lost.

Mandalay, the country's second-biggest city with 1.7 million inhabitants, suffered some of the worst destruction.

Outside the Sky Villa apartment complex, one of the city's worst-hit disaster sites, rescue workers stopped and lined up with hands clasped behind their backs to pay respects.

Officials and attendants stood behind a cordon, with relatives further back, as sirens wailed and Myanmar's flag flew at half-mast from a bamboo pole tied to a rescue tent.

The moment of remembrance is part of a week of national mourning, with flags to fly at half-mast on official buildings until Sunday "in sympathy for the loss of life and damages".

Myanmar's leader Min Aung Hlaing said on Tuesday that 2,719 people have been confirmed dead, with more than 3,900 injured and 270 missing. At least 20 people died in neighboring Thailand.

The toll is expected to rise significantly as rescuers reach towns and villages where communications have been cut off by the quake.

In one miraculous development, a woman was rescued in the capital Nay Pyi Daw on Tuesday, after having been trapped inside debris for 91 hours.

More than 1,000 foreign rescuers have flown in to help, and Myanmar state media reported that nearly 650 people have been pulled alive from ruined buildings around the country.

International aid efforts since the quake have included an emergency appeal from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for $100 million to help the victims.

The Philippines sent the first batch of a 91-strong team to Myanmar to help in search and rescue operations early on Tuesday.

The Lao People's Army deployed a team of 33 personnel, with essential equipment, to assist Myanmar on Monday.

Agencies - Xinhua