Heavy rains have struck parts of earthquake-ravaged Myanmar, complicating relief efforts and increasing the risk of disease outbreaks as the death toll from the powerful earthquakes on March 28 climbed to at least 3,471.
Aid workers in Mandalay, a severely affected city near the earthquake’s epicentre, reported on Sunday that overnight and morning rains and winds had drenched tent camps, soaking survivors and their belongings.
Further rainfall was anticipated later in the day, with temperatures expected to reach 37 degrees Celsius (98 degrees Fahrenheit).
“The weather is very extreme,” said Tun Tun, a specialist with the United Nations Development Programme, in an interview with the AFP news agency.
Aid agencies have warned that the combination of unseasonal rains and extreme heat could trigger disease outbreaks, including cholera, among earthquake survivors who are living in open-air camps.
Rainfall hits Sagaing on April 6
Rain poured down again in Sagaing around 6 am on April 6. On the evening of April 5, unseasonal rain fell in Sagaing, Mandalay, and Kyaukse towns, adding to the hardships of earthquake victims on the roads. pic.twitter.com/0ErqYjwJih
— Eleven Myanmar (@ElevenMyanmar) April 6, 2025
The magnitude 7.7 earthquake impacted a vast area of Myanmar, home to 50 million people, causing significant damage to six regions and states, including the capital, Naypyidaw.
The quake left many areas without power, telephone, or mobile connectivity and damaged roads and bridges, making it difficult to assess the full extent of the devastation. It also exacerbated an already severe humanitarian crisis stemming from the country’s civil war, which has displaced over three million people internally and left nearly 20 million in need, according to the UN.
State media in the military-led country reported that the earthquake has caused 3,471 deaths, injured 4,671 people, and left 214 missing.
The disaster has damaged approximately 5,223 buildings, 1,824 schools, 4,817 pagodas and temples, 167 hospitals and clinics, 169 bridges, 198 dams, and 184 sections of the country’s main highway.
‘Traumatised and fearful’
Sagaing, near the epicentre, and Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, have suffered particularly severe damage.
UN aid chief Tom Fletcher, who is in Mandalay, described the scale of the destruction as “epic” and said survivors, who are “traumatised and fearful,” urgently need food, water, shelter, and electricity.
In a video posted on X, Fletcher noted that the quake has devastated communities already in crisis. “It’s a compounding crisis,” he said. “It’s earthquake, on top of conflict, on top of huge existing need.”
He mentioned that aftershocks continued in the region more than a week after the initial quake. The United States Geological Survey reported a magnitude 4.7 earthquake south of Mandalay late on Friday.
A week after Mandalay earthquake, with devastating damage and aftershocks strong, this is a traumatised and fearful community. We are determined to save survivors and help them rebuild: we need the world to share that commitment. pic.twitter.com/jDSfvGVMDd
— Tom Fletcher (@UNReliefChief) April 6, 2025
Although Myanmar’s military government, led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing (who seized power in a February 2021 coup), declared a temporary ceasefire on Wednesday, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported on Friday that the military was restricting aid in areas unsupportive of its rule.
The UN agency also stated it is investigating reported military attacks against opponents, including incidents occurring after the ceasefire.
Free Burma Rangers, a relief group, told Reuters on Saturday that the military had bombed Karenni and Shan states on Thursday and Friday despite the ceasefire, killing at least five people.
The victims included civilians, according to the group’s founder, David Eubank, who said there had been at least seven such military attacks since the ceasefire declaration.
The military has not yet commented on these allegations.
US aid team fired
Myanmar’s neighbours, including China, India, and Southeast Asian nations, have sent relief supplies and rescuers over the past week. The US, once the world’s top humanitarian donor, has pledged at least $9 million to support earthquake-affected communities.
Current and former US officials say the dismantling of the country’s foreign aid programme has hindered its response.
Marcia Wong, a former senior USAID official, told Reuters that three USAID workers who travelled to Myanmar after the quake were informed they were being let go.
“This team is working incredibly hard, focused on getting humanitarian aid to those in need. To get news of your imminent termination – how can that not be demoralising?” Wong said.
The three USAID workers have been sleeping on the streets in the earthquake zone, Wong added, noting that their terminations would take effect in a few months.
In neighbouring Thailand, authorities reported that the country’s death toll from the earthquake has risen to 24, with 17 fatalities occurring at an under-construction skyscraper in Bangkok. Another 77 people remain missing.
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