Mandalay building
Rescuers are looking for survivors in a collapsed building in Mandalay. Screenshot from YouTube video of MizzimaTV. Fair use
A 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit the central part of Myanmar on March 28, destroying several towns and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in a country already suffering from civil strife under junta rule. The powerful quake also struck many parts of Thailand.
As of March 29, junta authorities said the death toll had risen to 1,644, with 3,408 people injured and 139 still missing. Based on its own monitoring on March 30, independent media outlet DVB said it has documented at least 2,928 deaths across the country.
Hundreds are feared trapped in old temples and mosques since the quake occurred at midday when worshippers were attending prayer services.
The casualties could be higher since information is slow to arrive from remote areas where internet services have been blocked.
The junta grabbed power in February 2021 and imposed absolute media censorship and internet shutdowns to quell dissent. A pro-democracy movement has challenged the junta government by waging guerrilla warfare in urban centers and ethnic communities.
Information blackouts and internet blocks have also made it more difficult to coordinate the delivery of urgent aid to areas affected by the disaster. The Myanmar Internet Project pointed out:
The lack of internet access has severe implications for emergency services, hindering disaster response efforts, obstructing aid coordination, and leaving affected populations unable to reach out for help.
The SAC’s internet shutdowns are blocking earthquake relief. People can’t get help, responders can’t coordinate, and millions are in the dark. #StopInternetShutdownMM #MyanmarEarthquake pic.twitter.com/zzSgewFj5E
— Htaike Htaike Aung (@barnyar) March 29, 2025
The SAC mentioned in the post above refers to the state administration council, the official name of the junta government.
Resistance forces said that the extent of the earthquake damage is far bigger than the initial reports that reached the mainstream press.
We are only receiving information from other towns in the region now. Sagaing is affected very badly too but the people there do not have internet access.
Junta shut down internet access in many places in Sagaing and Mandalay regions, as the resistance is very strong there. pic.twitter.com/lmkGvY6TK4
— Civil Disobedience Movement (@cvdom2021) March 29, 2025
They also warned that the mass arrest of doctors and health workers by the junta is also undermining ongoing rescue efforts.
There are two things impacting us that are not visible to int’l media -
1. Internet access – Junta needs to reopen internet access in many regions and remove the blockage of sites like Facebook and Twitter.
2. Medical doctors – many medical doctors remain in prison even in… pic.twitter.com/UYSLw6d8Yp
— Civil Disobedience Movement (@cvdom2021) March 29, 2025
Economist Antonio Graceffo highlighted the “pre-existing challenges in Myanmar” that prevent the fast delivery of assistance to earthquake victims. Aside from the “loss of civic energy” and “distrust in the junta,” there is a glaring “youth deficit” caused by the forced conscription program of the junta and the exodus of young workers to other countries.
The war has drained cities and towns of young men through forced conscription, leaving rescue and relief efforts underfunded and critically understaffed.
Despite the deadly impact of the earthquake, the junta continued to bomb several towns with airstrikes. On the other hand, the National Unity Government, which represents the resistance forces, has declared a two-week pause in offensive military operations in earthquake-affected areas starting March 30. Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, urged the junta to reciprocate.
The junta should follow the National Unity Government in declaring an immediate ceasefire. Military conscription should be suspended, aid workers should not have to fear arrest and there should be no obstructions to aid getting to where it is most needed. Every minute counts.
The military government has a record of deliberately preventing global groups from entering the country to provide humanitarian relief. It took them two weeks before international organizations were allowed to deploy teams and provide assistance when a powerful cyclone hit the country in 2008.
Harry Myo Lin, a Myanmar expert based in Austria, summed up the country’s situation and the need for global solidarity.
A generation already scarred by war is now buried in rubble. Without help, many more will be lost — not just to the earthquake, but to the silence that follows.