The death toll from Myanmar’s massive earthquake nearly a week ago increased to 3,085 on Thursday as search and rescue teams discovered additional bodies.
The military-led government said humanitarian assistance organisations hurried to give survivors medical attention and shelter.
In a brief statement, the military stated that another 4,715 people had been injured and 341 were missing.
Friday’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city. It collapsed thousands of buildings, buckled highways, and wrecked bridges across many locations.
Local media claims of casualties have been significantly higher than official figures, and with telecommunications down and many areas difficult to reach, the numbers are expected to grow sharply when more information becomes available.
The World Health Organisation said that according to its initial assessment, four hospitals and one health centre had been completely destroyed while another 32 hospitals and 18 health centres had been partially damaged.
A mobile hospital from India and a joint Russian-Belarusian hospital also were now operating in Mandalay.
With many left homeless by the earthquake, and many others staying away from their homes over fears ongoing aftershocks will bring them down, workers in Naypyitaw laboured in the 40 degree Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) busily erected big tents in open fields to provide some shelter.
In Mandalay, local residents gave slices of watermelon to Chinese volunteers taking a break from the heat.
Over 1,550 international rescuers were operating alongside locals on Thursday, according to a statement from the military.
Rescue supplies and equipment have been sent by 17 countries.
The quake worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis, with more than 3 million people displaced from their homes and nearly 20 million in need even before it hit, according to the United Nations.
As concerns grew that ongoing fighting could hamper humanitarian aid efforts, the military declared a temporary ceasefire Wednesday.
The announcement followed unilateral temporary ceasefires announced by armed resistance groups opposed to military rule.
The military said it would still take “necessary” measures against those groups if they use the ceasefire to regroup, train or launch attacks.
Already on Thursday there were reports from local media in Kachin state in the north of Myanmar that military attacks continued in several areas, but they could not be independently confirmed.
The earthquake shook Kachin, but there have been no reports of damage there.
In Bangkok, where the quake brought down a skyscraper under construction, the search for survivors and bodies continued as Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt said a possible sound of life was detected in the rubble. By near day’s end, however, nobody was found.
Twenty-two people were killed and 35 injured in the city, mostly by the collapse of the unfinished building.
