By Chainarong Monthienvichienchai
MYANMAR – Urgent rescue operations are underway as time runs out to save those still trapped beneath the rubble after a catastrophic earthquake struck Myanmar and neighboring Thailand.
The death toll has surged to 2,719 and is expected to surpass 3,000, according to Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing in a televised address on Tuesday.
More than 4,500 people have been injured, with many still missing as rescue efforts continue.
Among the victims were 50 children and two teachers who perished when their preschool near Mandalay collapsed, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported.
The agency highlighted the dire conditions in the hardest-hit areas, where communities are struggling with access to clean water, sanitation, and emergency aid.
The stench of decaying bodies has begun to permeate the streets of Myanmar’s second-largest city, as residents work frantically to clear debris in the hope of finding survivors.
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