Myanmar to allocate $240 million for earthquake relief

Yangon : Myanmar's government will allocate 500 billion kyats (about $238.09 million) for earthquake relief and rehabilitation efforts, State Administration Council (SAC) Chairman Min Aung Hlaing has said.

The Myanmar leader made the statement at a cash donation ceremony in Nay Pyi Taw on Tuesday, where well-wishers donated 104.44 billion kyats ($49.71 million) in cash and non-cash items worth 12.4 billion kyats ($5.9 million), Xinhua news agency reported, quoting the state-owned daily The Global New Light of Myanmar.

The contributions were received by the Chairman of the National Disaster Management Committee, the SAC Vice Chairman, council members, and other relevant officials, it added.

Following deadly earthquake that struck Myanmar on Friday, Min Aung Hlaing called for international assistance. In response, rescue teams, medics and nurses from 16 countries and regions have arrived in Myanmar with humanitarian aid and medical supplies as of March 31, it said.

Among the 18 powerful earthquakes that have struck Myanmar, the 7.7-magnitude quake was the second strongest, following an 8.0-magnitude earthquake that hit the country in 1912, according to the local daily Myanma Alinn.

The death toll from Friday's 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has risen to 2,886, with 4,639 injured and 373 still missing, according to the State Administration Council information team on Wednesday.

Myo Nyunt, President of the Myanmar Red Cross Society, told Xinhua earlier that key challenges in the current rescue operations included disaster assessment and logistics coordination.

Due to safety concerns in the affected areas, rescue teams have faced significant difficulties in distributing supplies, with a particular shortage of heavy machinery, Myo Nyunt said.

The powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake, followed by a 6.4 magnitude aftershock minutes later, struck Myanmar’s Mandalay region on Friday, causing massive casualties and damage.

Myanmar announced on Monday a week-long mourning period following the earthquake that struck the nation and wrought widespread destruction.

The United Nations and international aid organisations are struggling to respond to the devastating earthquake, which destroyed several cities such as Mandalay, Sagaing, and Naypyitaw, and displaced tens of thousands of people. The hospitals are trying to cope with the high influx of patients.

However, the United Nations, the US, India, the European Union, several other nations and international organisations have sent aid and rescue efforts for earthquake victims in Myanmar.

The Indian Army and Navy mobilised their resources with unwavering resolve, providing both immediate rescue support and long-term aid to the affected communities.