UN seeks support for Myanmar as quake death toll reaches 3,354

The United Nations called for the world to rally behind quake-hit Myanmar on April 5 as the death toll rose to 3,354, while a former official from the US Agency for International Development (USAid) said workers from it had received notice they were losing their jobs after arriving in the disaster zone.

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BANGKOK - The United Nations called for the world to rally behind quake-hit Myanmar on April 5 as the death toll rose to 3,354, while a former official from the US Agency for International Development (USAid) said workers from it had received notice they were losing their jobs after arriving in the disaster zone.

In addition to those killed by the March 28 earthquake, 4,850 people were injured and another 220 are missing, state media said.

During a visit to Myanmar's second-biggest city Mandalay, which was near the epicentre of the 7.7-magnitude quake, UN aid chief Tom Fletcher appealed for international support.

"The destruction is staggering. Lives lost. Homes destroyed. Livelihoods shattered. But the resilience is incredible," he said in a post on X.

"The world must rally behind the people of Myanmar."

Myanmar's neighbours, such as China, India and South-east Asian nations, are among those that have dispatched relief supplies and rescuers to aid in the recovery effort in quake-hit areas that are home to about 28 million people.