Junta leader to visit Bangkok amid quake rescue operations

Myanmar's junta leader Min Aung Hlaing will leave his disaster-stricken country for a rare trip to a regional summit this week, his homeland razed, as aid groups called for restrictions to be eased to reach survivors of a devastating earthquake.

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The 7.7 magnitude quake, one of the strongest to hit Myanmar in a century, jolted a region that is home to millions of people, toppling buildings, felling communications and leaving many without food, water and shelter.

The military has struggled to run Myanmar since its return to power in a 2021 coup that unseated the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

The military takeover has seen the economy and basic services including healthcare reduced to tatters amid an outbreak of civil war.

The death toll from the quake rose to 2,886 on Wednesday, state media reported.

Mohammed Riyas, Myanmar Director of the International Red Cross, said humanitarian needs were staggering with hospitals overwhelmed, medicine in short supply and risks of water-borne diseases growing.

"It may be weeks before we understand the full extent of destruction caused by this earthquake as communication network lines are down and transport is restricted," he told reporters.

"People require urgent medical care, clean drinking water, tents, food and other basic necessities. Providing life-saving health services is critical."