Rescue efforts from Myanmar’s deadly earthquake wind down

Death toll hits 3,600; Naypyitaw, people cleared debris and collected wood from their damaged houses under rain, and soldiers removed wreckage at some Buddhist monasteries.

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Long efforts to find survivors from Myanmar’s devastating March 28 earthquake were winding down Monday, as rescue efforts are supplanted by increasing relief and recovery activity, with the death toll from the disaster hitting 3,600 and still climbing.

In the capital, Naypyitaw, people cleared debris and collected wood from their damaged houses under drizzling rain, and soldiers removed wreckage at some Buddhist monasteries.

Myanmar’s State Department said Monday that rescue teams had recovered 10 bodies from the rubble of a collapsed building in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second biggest city.

It said international rescuers from Singapore, Malaysia and India have returned to their countries after their work to find survivors was considered completed. The number of rescue teams operating in the residential areas of Naypyitaw has been steadily decreasing.

The 5.7 magnitude quake hit a wide swath of the country, causing significant damage to six regions and states. The earthquake left many areas without power, telephone or cell connections and damaged roads and bridges, making the full extent of the devastation hard to assess.