The number of people killed by Friday's earthquake in Myanmar has passed 2,000, state media reported on Monday, as rescuers continued desperate efforts to find survivors.
Rescuers and an activist group said the magnitude-7.7 earthquake killed several hundred Muslims praying at mosques during the holy month of Ramadan, while 270 Buddhist monks were crushed by a collapsing monastery.
The United Nations and aid groups have warned the quake could exacerbate hunger and disease outbreaks in a country that was already one of the world's most challenging places for humanitarian organisations to operate because of civil war.
The epicentre of the quake hit near Myanmar's second-largest city, Mandalay.
It damaged the city's airport, buckled roads and collapsed hundreds of buildings along a wide swath down the country's centre.
Relief efforts are further hampered by power outages, fuel shortages and patchy communications.
A lack of heavy machinery has slowed search-and-rescue operations, forcing many to search for survivors by hand in daily temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius.
Rescue workers at Mandalay's collapsed U Hla Thein monastery said they were still searching for about 150 of the dead monks.
Some 700 Muslim worshippers attending Friday prayers were killed when mosques collapsed, said Tun Kyi, a member of the steering committee of the Spring Revolution Myanmar Muslim Network.
He said some 60 mosques were damaged or destroyed. Videos posted on The Irrawaddy online news site showed several mosques toppling.
It was not clear whether those numbers were already included in the official toll.
Myanmar state MRTV reported that the leader of the military government, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, told Pakistan's prime minister during a call that 2,065 people were killed, with more than 3,900 injured and about 270 missing.
Relief agencies expect those numbers to rise sharply since access is slow to remote areas where communications are down.
The UN's Myanmar team called for unimpeded access for aid teams.
"Even before this earthquake, nearly 20 million people in Myanmar were in need of humanitarian assistance," said Marcoluigi Corsi, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator.
Full extent of devastation still unclear
"We're really not clear on the scale of the destruction at this stage," Lauren Ellery, deputy director of programs in Myanmar for the International Rescue Committee, told The Associated Press.
"They were talking about a town near Mandalay where 80 per cent of the buildings were reportedly collapsed, but it wasn't in the news because telecommunications have been slow."
Groups the IRC works with have reported that some places were cut off by landslides, she said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it had received reports of three hospitals destroyed and 22 partially damaged in the region.
More than 10,000 buildings collapsed or were severely damaged in central and north-west Myanmar, the agency said.
One preschool classroom building collapsed in Mandalay district, killing 50 children and two teachers, it said.
"There is an urgent need for trauma and surgical care, blood transfusion supplies, anaesthetics, essential medicines and mental health support," it said.
Rescue efforts are also complicated by the civil war.
In 2021, the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into significant armed resistance.
While one group has declared a partial unilateral ceasefire, the government and other armed groups have not stopped fighting.
Government forces have lost control of much of Myanmar, and many places were dangerous or impossible for aid groups to reach even before the quake.
More than 3 million people have been displaced by the fighting, according to the UN.
Since the earthquake, many people have been sleeping outside, either because homes were destroyed or out of fear of aftershocks.
Authorities have warned that monsoon rains start in May and finding shelter for people will be a major challenge.
Myanmar's neighbours and allies send aid
International rescue teams from several countries are on the scene, including from Russia, China and India.
On Monday, an Indian team jackhammered through slabs of fallen concrete at one site in Mandalay. They could be seen bringing out one body.
The European Union, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and others have announced millions of dollars in aid.
Despite massive cuts and firings at the US Agency for International Development — the body charged with delivering humanitarian assistance overseas — the US embassy said a team of experts was on its way to Myanmar. The embassy said it would provide up to $US2 million ($3.2 million) through local organisations.
A small number of US military personnel were sent to assist in Bangkok, where the earthquake killed at least 18 people, many at a construction site where a partially built high-rise collapsed.
Another 33 have been reported injured and 78 missing, primarily at the construction site near the popular Chatuchak market.
On Monday, heavy equipment was temporarily shut down at the site and authorities urged onlookers to be silent as they used machines to try to detect signs of life.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters that signs had been detected on Sunday night, though experts could not determine whether it had been machine error.
Watching the crews at work, Naruemon Thonglek said she had "made some peace" with the fact that her partner and five friends there were unlikely to be found alive.
"A part of me still hopes they will survive," she said.
AP/ABC
