Rain forecast adds to woes after Myanmar quake, as death toll tops 3,500

BANGKOK — People in Myanmar’s earthquake-stricken areas braced for thunderstorms late Sunday, after heavy rains and winds the previous night disrupted rescue and relief operations and added to the misery of the many who lost their homes in the disaster and were forced to sleep in the open.

Myanmar’s state-run MRTV reported Sunday evening that scattered showers and thunderstorms were possible across the country for the next week, with severe heat also in the forecast.

“The public is advised to be aware of the possibility of untimely rain accompanied by strong winds, lightning, hail and landslides,” MRTV said. Daytime temperatures are forecast to reach 100 degrees by midweek.

The epicenter of the magnitude 7.7 quake on March 28 was near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city. It hit a wide swath of the country, causing significant damage to six regions and states including the capital, Naypyidaw.

Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, a spokesperson for the military government, said Sunday in an audio message to journalists that 3,564 people have been confirmed dead so far, with 5,012 others injured and 210 missing.

The quake left many areas without power, telephone or cell connections and damaged roads and bridges, hindering damage assessments.

An official from Myanmar Rescue Federation (Mandalay) told the Associated Press on Sunday that rescuers had to temporarily shut down electrical equipment and machines used in search operations because of the rain Saturday and Sunday, which would make their work more difficult but wouldn’t halt it.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was afraid of being arrested by the military government for speaking without authorization, said rescuers would continue search operations despite the rainy forecast.

Another rescuer working in Mandalay, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said the rain and strong winds caused some buildings to collapse, causing further hardship for those seeking shelter.

The Irrawaddy, an online Myanmar news site operating in exile, reported that at least 80 bodies were found in the wreckage of the Great Wall Hotel in Mandalay after the removal of walls and rubble Sunday afternoon. Its report could not immediately be confirmed.

Myanmar Fire Services Department said in a statement Sunday that rescuers recovered five bodies from collapsed buildings in Mandalay.

Myanmar has had a military government since February 2021, when the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. It tolerates no criticism, and is engaged in a civil war against pro-democracy resistance forces and ethnic minority guerrilla armies.

Myanmar’s military government has said 5,223 buildings were damaged in the earthquake in addition to 1,824 schools, 2,752 Buddhist monasterial living quarters, 4,817 pagodas and temples, 167 hospitals and clinics, 169 bridges, 198 dams and 184 sections of the country’s main highway.

Peck writes for the Associated Press.