The death toll from the earthquake which hit Myanmar has risen to more than 1,700 as more bodies have been pulled from the rubble, the country’s military-led government said on Monday.
Government spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun told state-run MRTV that another 3,400 have been injured and more than 300 were missing.
He did not provide more specific figures.
Chinese rescuers at a collapsed building before conducting a search and rescue operation in the aftermath of an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar (Myo Kyaw Soe/Xinhua/AP)
The 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit at midday on Friday, causing widespread damage, including in the capital Naypitaw and the second largest city, Mandalay.
The earthquake, whose epicentre was near Mandalay, brought down scores of buildings and damaged other infrastructure like the city’s airport.
Relief efforts have been hampered by buckled roads, downed bridges, spotty communications and the challenges of operating in a country engaged in a civil war.
In neighbouring Thailand, the earthquake rocked much of the country and killed at least 18 people, many at a construction site in Bangkok where a partially built high-rise collapsed.