Myanmar declares week of mourning as death toll surpasses 2,000

Myanmar, on Monday (Mar 31), announced a week-long national mourning period, following the devastating earthquake that claimed the lives of over 2,000 people.

As rescue efforts continue, the prospect of finding additional survivors amidst the wreckage of destroyed buildings grows increasingly dim.

Until April 6, the national flags will fly at half-mast "in sympathy for the loss of life and damages" from the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that rocked the country on Friday (Mar 28), said the ruling junta in a statement.

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The announcement came as the urgency of the rescue efforts slowed down in Mandalay, the city most severely impacted by the disaster, which is home to 1.7 million residents.

"The situation is so dire that it's hard to express what is happening," said Aung Myint Hussein, chief administrator of Mandalay's Sajja North mosque.

The junta, on Monday (Mar 31), said that the death count from the disaster rose to 2,056, with over 3,900 people wounded and 270 still missing.

The victims who lost their lives included three Chinese nationals, said China's state media and two French people, according to the foreign ministry in Paris.

Myanmar’s military drops bombs 3 hours after quake devastation

Meanwhile, the military junta continued airstrikes on rebel-held areas in Myanmar even after the massive destruction and loss of lives in the country due to the fatal earthquake.

The UN special rapporteur on Myanmar, Tom Andrews, condemned the military government’s actions, calling on the regime to stop all operations.

“Anyone who has influence on the military needs to step up the pressure and make it very clear that this is not acceptable,” he said.

“I’m calling upon the junta to just stop, stop any of its military operations,” Andrews added.

Pro-democracy rebel groups fighting to remove the military from power reported aerial bombings in Chang-U township in the north-western Sagaing region, the epicentre of the quake. There are also reports of airstrikes in regions near the Thai border.

The UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Myanmar, Julie Bishop, urged both sides to lay down their arms and allow help to reach those hit by the earthquake.

(With inputs from agencies)