Myanmar earthquake death toll crosses 1,600

Myanmar's ruling military said on Saturday on the state television that the confirmed death toll from a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake rose to 1,644, as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of the scores of buildings that collapsed when it struck near the country's second-largest city.

- Agencies

MANDALAY, MYANMAR: Myanmar's ruling military said on Saturday on the state television that the confirmed death toll from a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake rose to 1,644, as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of the scores of buildings that collapsed when it struck near the country's second-largest city.

The new total is a sharp rise compared to the 1,002 total announced just hours earlier, underlining the difficulty of confirming casualties over a widespread region and the likelihood that the numbers will continue to grow from Friday's quake. The number of injured increased to 3,408, while the missing figure rose to 139.

In neighboring Thailand, Bangkok city authorities said the number of confirmed dead was now 10, nine at the site of the collapsed high-rise under construction near the capital's popular Chatuchak market, while 78 people were still unaccounted for.

Rescue efforts are underway especially in the major stricken cities of Mandalay, Myanmar's No. 2 city, and Naypyitaw, the capital.

But even though teams and equipment have been flown in from other nations, they are hindered by the airports in those cities being damaged and apparently unfit to land planes.

The United Nations said a severe lack of medical supplies is hampering efforts in the country to respond to the earthquake, adding that those affected needed urgent humanitarian assistance. "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," the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in an update.