With roads, network and power lines destroyed, aid agencies are facing a race against time to reach people in need
Myanmar was already facing a severe humanitarian crisis after years of conflict and instability when the powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck last week.
So far it has killed more than 2,800 people, though bodies continue to be pulled from the ruins of buildings – with local reports estimating the final toll will be far higher.
The earthquake was so powerful it also affected neighbouring Thailand and tremors were felt as far afield as Cambodia and India.
Many of those who survived have no access to safe shelter, clean water, food or medical care and roads and roads and buildings have been destroyed, including hospitals, schools and water supplies.
A third of Myanmar – formerly known as Burma – was already in need of humanitarian aid, according to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), a group of 15 UK aid charities.
They are urging people to get behind the Myanmar Earthquake Appeal to help vulnerable people facing life and death situations.
People have moved to temporary shelter after the earthquake (Photo: World Vision, supplied by DEC)
Families are afraid and sleeping outside (Photo: World Vision/DEC)
Madara Hettiarachchi, DEC’s programme and accountability director, told The i Paper that they are still learning about the scale of the devastation.
“It was lunchtime [when the earthquake happened] so children were in schools and going about their lives,” she said. “For the people out there, there is fresh terror every time there is an aftershock and it is really destabilising and disorientating.
“People are still being dug up from underneath the rubble and people on the ground say families are afraid and are sleeping outside because their homes are destroyed or damaged and they are worried about multi-storey buildings collapsing with each aftershock.”
With roads, network and power lines destroyed, aid agencies are facing a race against time to reach people in need.
‘The building was swinging like a hammock’
Thiri* sits and makes food for her family in the makeshift shelter they are living in on the street in front of their apartment building where they were living before the earthquake struck. 31 March 2025. In her interview, Thiri describes her family?s escape from the building when the earthquake hit, and her family's immediate needs. Her son is in bad health and they are rapidly running out of food.
Thirl and her family reside in a makeshift shelter on the street in front of their old apartment building (Photo: Arete/DEC)
Thirl, 53, is a displaced grandmother living in a makeshift shelter in the street in front of the apartment building where she was living with her family before the earthquake struck.
She described their terrifying escape when the earthquake hit, and how her son is in bad health and they are rapidly running out of food.
“We were so scared as the building was swinging like a hammock,” she recalled. “People started shouting, some crying, some praying. Then we were displaced here.
“There was a first quake with loud noises and shaking everywhere. So I asked my husband to run to the ground. My grandchild shouted: ‘Father, nothing is important, run!’
“We ran to one side but realised the electric poles might be dangerous, so we ran to the other side. Then everyone said the building was no longer safe to live in and now we have settled here.”
Thirl says there are over a thousand people staying on the street and her son is struggling as he is in bad health and suffers from muscle pain. Since they have been sleeping outside, she has not been able to provide any treatment for him.
“We are eating the remaining rice we have. We can’t get proper meals to survive,” she said.
“I want to cry when I think about all of this. I would like to request any help because we are struggling. Everyone is suffering.”
“It is hard to imagine how the already vulnerable people of Myanmar can even begin to bear so much more hardship following this devastating earthquake,” said Saleh Saeed, CEO of the DEC.
“Surviving the earthquake and aftershocks was only the beginning – people are sleeping outside on the street, terrified and exhausted.
“We already know that millions of people have been affected. But each day, as more information reaches us, the devastating scale of the earthquake’s impact becomes clearer. We need to prepare for the levels of need to sadly keep growing.
People are moving tempoary shelter after the earthquake.
People moved to a temporary shelter following the earthquake (Photo: World Vision/DEC)
“We know that the British public – and especially The i Paper readers – are incredibly generous during times of great need, so we are optimistic that this special partnership will enable DEC charities to reach people affected in Myanmar as swiftly as possible.”
Aid worker Haider Yaqub, country director for Plan International in Myanmar, said the destruction is “immense”.
“I’ve met children in shock, asking, ‘Why am I outside?’ and ‘Why aren’t I in my house?’. As children have barely started processing the tragedy they find themselves in, the biggest fear from people I spoke to is that their life will never be the same.”
Oxfam trucks containing first response supplies leave depot in Myanmar (Photo: supplied by DEC)
Oxfam trucks containing essential supplies leave a depot in Myanmar (Photo: Oxfam/DEC)
He added that Plan International teams on the ground are working tirelessly to provide emergency relief including rehydration drinks, biscuits, blankets, and solar lamps.
“With schools closed and shops unable to function, the road to recovery will be long,” he said. “Beyond basic necessities, our role is also to ensure that children have safe places to eat, learn, play and heal, rather than being left to navigate the devastation on their own.”
HOW TO DONATE
To donate to the Myanmar Earthquake Appeal:
Visit: dec.org.uk
Telephone: 0330 123 0555 (Standard network charges apply)
Text: SUPPORT to 70727 to donate £10. (Texts cost £10 plus your standard network rate)
Send a cheque by post to: DEC Myanmar Earthquake Appeal, PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA.
For full terms and conditions visit dec.org.uk
WHAT YOUR MONEY CAN BUY
£10 could provide urgently needed water to 10 families for a day
£20 could provide essential hygiene supplies for two families for three months
£50 could provide emergency food for a family for one month