Myanmar quake death toll exceeds 1,000 as international aid starts to arrive

On Saturday morning (March 29), Myanmar's military government reported that the death toll from Friday's Mandalay earthquake had risen to 1,002, with 2,376 injured and 30 missing, with the highest fatalities in Mandalay.

A source close to the prison officers in Naypyidaw, Myanmar told the BBC that Aung San Suu Kyi, the former leader of Myanmar who has been detained since the 2021 coup, was not affected by the earthquake and remains in the Naypyidaw prison.

"Infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and buildings was affected, leading to casualties and injuries among civilians. Search and rescue operations are currently being carried out in the affected areas," the junta said in a statement issued on state media.

The junta leader, General Min Aung Hlaing, had warned on Friday of more deaths and injuries as he invited "any country" to provide help and donations.

A Chinese rescue team arrived on Saturday while Russia and the US offered aid in the disaster, which struck at lunchtime on Friday and damaged hundreds of buildings in neighbouring Thailand.

India sent rescue and medical teams to Myanmar. An air force plane delivered emergency relief supplies, including blankets, food, hygiene equipment, sleeping bags, solar-powered lanterns, and cookware.

The account on platform X from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Russia's EMERCOM (Emergency Control Ministry) has dispatched two aircraft carrying rescue personnel to #Myanmar to assist in earthquake recovery efforts. The unit comprises 120 specialists, including K9 search units, anesthesiologists, and psychologists.

The United States Geological Service's predictive modelling estimated the death toll could exceed 10,000 people in Myanmar, and that losses could be greater than the value of the country's gross domestic product.

Susan Hough, a scientist in the USGS's Earthquake Hazards Program, told Reuters it was difficult to predict an earthquake's death toll, for various reasons, including timing. When an earthquake strikes during the daytime, as it did in Myanmar, "people are awake, they have their wits about them, they are better able to respond," she said.

Myanmar junta chief toured damage sites

Myanmar state TV released footage of the country's junta chief General Min Aung Hlaing visiting earthquake disaster sites and a hospital on Friday.

On Saturday the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar said China's President Xi Jinping had spoken with the general. On its Facebook page, the embassy said Xi expressed sympathy over the incident. It did not say when the call took place.

Much of the damage was in Myanmar's second-largest city, Mandalay, close to the epicentre of the quake.

On March 29, 2025, at about 6.30am local time, a 37-member Chinese rescue team from Yunnan Province departed from Kunming International Airport loaded with extensive emergency search-and-rescue and relief equipment.

The Chinese officials quickly rushed to the earthquake zone in Myanmar by charter flight after yesterday’s (March 28) 7.7-magnitude quake, with its epicentre in central Myanmar at a depth of around 10 kilometres, was followed by a 6.4 aftershock.

Meanwhile, the Myanmar military government declared a state of emergency in six affected regions—including Sagaing, Mandalay, Pakhom, Magwe, Naypyidaw, and parts of Shan State—and ordered officials to promptly assess damage and coordinate relief efforts.

Reuters