• The group said the Myanmar civil war could prevent aid from contacting people.
• Aid team says water, food, shelter is urgently needed
• Rebel Alliance and Government War Announce unilateral ceasefire
  

On Tuesday, Myanmar’s aid groups described the scene of destruction and despair after an earthquake that caused more than 2,700 people, stressing the urgent need for food, water and shelter, and warning windows to find survivors to close the quick shutdown.

Myanmar’s military ruler Min Aung Ha said in a televised speech that the death toll from a 7.7-magnitude earthquake was expected to exceed 3,000 on Friday, reaching 2,719 on Tuesday, with 4,521 injured and 441 missing.

The earthquake hit on Friday lunchtime is the strongest attack on Southeast Asian countries in more than a century, selling ancient Pagodas and modern buildings.

It caused significant damage to the second city of Myanmar, Mandalay and Naypyitaw, the capital built by the previous purpose of the Political Tower (Junta), an indestructible fortress.

The death toll rose to 21 in neighboring Thailand, with the earthquake causing damage to hundreds of buildings. Rescuers urged to find life in the ruins of a collapsed skyscraper built in the capital Bangkok, but admitted that time was against them.

The UN agency in Myanmar said the hospital was overwhelmed, infrastructure damage and rescue efforts in the civil war hindered the rescue efforts. The rebels accused the military of air strikes even after the earthquake, and on Tuesday, the Rebels coalition announced a unilateral ceasefire to help with relief efforts.

Aid organizations alerted the lack of food, water and sanitation. The area was still hit by aftershocks on Tuesday.

Julia Rees of UNICEF, a UNICEF agent, just returned from one of the worst affected areas near the center of Myanmar, saying the entire community was flattened, destruction and psychological trauma were enormous.

“However, the crisis is still developing. The tremor continues. Search and rescue operations are underway. The bodies are still being withdrawn from rubble.”

“Let me know: the demand is huge, they are rising in an hour. The life-saving window is over.”

Civil War complicates relief efforts

In Mandalay, 50 children and two teachers were killed when preschool collapsed, the UN humanitarian agency said.

In a rare survival story, a 63-year-old woman was evacuated from the rubble of a Naypyitaw building after being trapped for 91 hours.

Myanmar Fire Department said it was found Tuesday morning and evacuated an hour later after a joint rescue with teams from India, China and Russia.

The civil war in Myanmar seized power in a coup in 2021, an effort to leave the injured homeless, including tight control over the internet and other communication networks.

A rebel group, Karen National Alliance, said Sunday that the military government carried out air strikes in the eastern part of the country, when it should prioritize earthquake relief efforts.

Three major rebel groups in the war with the military government announced a unilateral one-month ceasefire Tuesday to allow emergency humanitarian efforts to “go as quickly and effectively as possible.”

Amnesty International said the military government must allow aid to reach uncontrolled areas.

“The Myanmar military has long denied denying aid from areas where its groups are active,” said its Myanmar researcher Joe Freeman. “It must immediately allow unhindered access to all humanitarian organizations.”

Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of the field, talked about “learnings learned” in his speech and criticized the poor quality of the building. “Some buildings are cheap and don’t spend enough money on it,” he said.

It is unclear whether Min Aung Hlaing will take a rare foreign trip later this week to attend a regional summit in Bangkok as planned. The Thai Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the general may attend via a conference call.

“We will keep moving forward”

In Bangkok, rescuers are still searching for the ruins of an unfinished skyscraper that collapsed but realize that four days have passed since the earthquake, and the chances of finding survivors have been extended.

There are estimated 70 bodies under the rubble, and experts say 12 bodies were used, scanners were used, but large debris blocked the road and rescuers were cutting concrete slabs to remove them.

“Our focus is to survive. In some cases, people survived for a week,” Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters.

“We can’t say there is no hope…If there is structure and air, there is no direct heat. We will keep moving forward.”

As family and friends say, they are concerned about the worst, and the search and rescue efforts are supported by multinational corporations, including U.S. and Israeli personnel.

“The rescue team is doing their best. I can see it.” 19-year-old Artithap Lalod said he was waiting for news from his brother.

Initial tests showed that some steel samples collected from the collapsed building sites failed, Thai Ministry of Industry officials said. The government has begun investigating the cause of the collapse.

14 deaths have been confirmed at construction sites and elsewhere in the city.