Quake-hit Myanmar needs more aid: Thailand

Coordinated regional response is key, says foreign minister after seeing scale of damage

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BANGKOK - Quake-stricken Myanmar is still in desperate need of medical assistance, field hospitals and shelters, Thailand's foreign minister said, stressing the importance of a coordinated regional relief effort and long-term support.

The 7.7 magnitude quake on March 28 was one of the strongest to hit Myanmar in a century, jolting a region that is home to 28 million people, toppling buildings, flattening communities and leaving many without food, water and shelter.

The military government said 3,645 people were killed in the quake, with 5,017 injured and another 148 missing. Nearly 49,000 houses and more than 2,100 government buildings were destroyed.

Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa and Malaysian counterpart Mohamad Hasan met Myanmar officials on April 5 in the quake-hit capital Naypyitaw and saw the scale of the devastation.