Myanmar earthquake: search for survivors continues as UN warns over medical supply shortage – latest updates

Welcome back to our live coverage of the aftermath of the deadly Myanmar earthquake which has killed at least 1,600 people and injured over 3,400 others, with at least 139 more missing.

Rescue efforts are entering their third day and attempts to find survivors are intensifying after the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck the country and neighbouring Thailand, where at least 17 people in Bangkok have died.

The initial quake struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock.

The tremors collapsed buildings, downed bridges and buckled roads, with mass destruction seen in the city of more than 1.7 million people, the country’s second largest.

The UN has warned that rescue operations are severely hindered by the blocked roads and collapsed buildings, adding that a lack of medical supplies is making the response to the earthquake much more difficult than it would be otherwise.

Hospitals in parts of central and northwestern Myanmar, including Mandalay and Sagaing, were struggling to cope with the influx of injured people, according to the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs (OCHA).

“A severe shortage of medical supplies is hampering response efforts, including trauma kits, blood bags, anaesthetics, assistive devices, essential medicines, and tents for health workers,” OCHA said in a statement on Saturday.

Marcoluigi Corsi, UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for war-torn Myanmar, said Myanmar had already been “reeling from an alarming humanitarian crisis, largely driven by persistent conflict and recurrent disasters”.

“At this critical time, the people of Myanmar urgently need the steadfast support of the international community,” he added.