Forecast of a week of rain adds to Myanmar earthquake woes, as death toll tops 3,500

BANGKOK — People in Myanmar’s earthquake-stricken areas braced for thunderstorms late Sunday, after heavy rains and winds the previous night disrupted rescue and relief operations and added to the misery of the many who lost their homes in the disaster and were forced to sleep in the open.

Myanmar’s state-run MRTV reported on Sunday evening that scattered showers and thunderstorms possible across the country for the next week.

“The public is advised to be aware of the possibility of untimely rain accompanied by strong winds, lightning, hail, and landslides,” MRTV said. Daytime temperatures are forecast to reach 38 degrees Celsius C (100 degrees Fahrenheit) by mid-week.

The epicenter of the 7.7 magnitude quake on March 28 was near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city. It hit a wide swath of the country, causing significant damage to six regions and states including the capital Naypyitaw.

Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, a spokesperson for the military government, said Sunday in an audio message to journalists that 3,564 people have been confirmed dead so far, with 5,012 others injured and 210 missing.

The quake left many areas without power, telephone or cell connections and damaged roads and bridges, hindering damage assessments.

An official from Myanmar Rescue Federation (Mandalay) told The Associated Press on Sunday that rescuers had to temporarily shut down electrical equipment and machines used in search operations due to the rain on Saturday and Sunday, making work more difficult but not halting it.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was afraid of being arrested by the military for speaking without authorization, said rescuers will continue search operations despite the possibility of more rain.

Another rescuer working in Mandalay, similarly speaking on condition of anonymity, said the rain and strong winds caused some buildings to collapse, causing further hardship for those seeking shelter.

The Irrawaddy, an online Myanmar news site operating in exile, reported that at least 80 dead bodies were found in the wreckage of the Great Wall Hotel in Mandalay after the removal of walls and rubble on Sunday afternoon. Its report could not immediately be confirmed.

Myanmar Fire Services Department said in a statement on Sunday that rescuers recovered five bodies from collapsed buildings in Mandalay.

Myanmar has had a military government since February 2021, when the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. It tolerates no criticism, and is engaged in a civil war against pro-democracy resistance forces and ethnic minority guerrilla armies.

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.

Myanmar’s military government has said 5,223 buildings, 1,824 schools, 2,752 Buddhist monasterial living quarters, 4,817 pagodas and temples, 167 hospitals and clinics, 169 bridges, 198 dams and 184 sections of the country’s main highway were damaged by the earthquake.