Myanmar quake death toll climbs to 3,354 as junta leader returns from summit

The death toll from Myanmar’s devastating earthquake has risen to 3,354, with 4,850 injured and 220 missing, according to state media. The grim figures emerge as the country struggles to cope with the aftermath of the quake amid a prolonged civil conflict.

Myanmar’s military ruler, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, returned to the capital after a rare trip to Bangkok, where he attended a summit with South and Southeast Asian leaders. In separate meetings, he also met with officials from Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and India. State media reported that during his visit, Min Aung Hlaing reaffirmed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi the junta’s plans to hold “free and fair” elections in December. Modi, meanwhile, called for a permanent post-quake ceasefire and stressed that the elections must be “inclusive and credible,” though critics have dismissed the planned elections as a sham intended to perpetuate military control.

Since the 2021 coup that ousted the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar has been mired in conflict. The ongoing civil war has displaced more than 3 million people, left basic services in tatters, and plunged a significant portion of the population into humanitarian distress—a situation further exacerbated by the March 28 quake.

United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher, who spent Friday night in Mandalay near the quake’s epicenter, praised local humanitarian and community groups for their efforts. “Many themselves lost everything, and yet kept heading out to support survivors,” he said on social media, highlighting the grassroots response amid challenges posed by restricted access to aid.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that the junta has been limiting aid supplies in quake-hit areas where communities oppose its rule, and it is investigating 53 reported attacks by the military—including 16 incidents that occurred after a ceasefire was declared on Wednesday.

As Myanmar confronts the dual challenges of natural disaster and political turmoil, international attention remains focused on the humanitarian crisis and the prospects for a genuine path toward stability and peace.

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