Aid groups reaching Myanmar’s hardest-hit areas are warning of a worsening humanitarian crisis as survivors of last week’s devastating earthquake struggle with a lack of shelter, food, and water. Meanwhile, in Bangkok, search and rescue teams continue efforts to locate victims trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed skyscraper.

The 7.7-magnitude quake, which struck around midday on Friday, has claimed more than 2,700 lives in Myanmar, with thousands more injured or missing. As rescue workers push deeper into the disaster zone, the scale of the destruction and the urgent need for assistance are becoming increasingly clear.

FILE PHOTO: People stand near a commercial facility which collapsed due to an earthquake, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar March 29, 2025, in this photo released by Kyodo. Kyodo/via REUTERS

Survivors Left Without Shelter

In Mandalay, where tremors were strongly felt, survivors are too afraid to return to their homes due to the threat of aftershocks. Many are sleeping outdoors in fields or on the streets, exposed to the elements.

“Having lived through the terror of the earthquake, people now fear aftershocks and are sleeping outside on roads or in open fields,” an International Rescue Committee (IRC) worker in Mandalay told Reuters.

The IRC has identified an immediate need for tents, food, clean drinking water, and medical assistance, as some people who remain outside have started falling ill due to exposure.

Rescue workers operate at the site of a collapsed building, following a strong earthquake, in Bangkok, Thailand, April 1, 2025. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Rescue Efforts Hampered by Civil War

Myanmar’s ongoing civil war, which escalated following the military coup in 2021, has made it even harder to get aid to those in need. Damaged roads, collapsed bridges, and the junta’s strict control over communications have further complicated rescue and relief efforts.

Local residents, left with little official assistance, are trying to dig bodies from the rubble with limited tools and resources.

“People are still sleeping outside and started getting sick … as the ground has been hit by sun the whole day and so it’s hot,” one resident in Mandalay told Reuters.

The military government has confirmed a national death toll of 2,065, with over 3,900 injured and at least 270 missing. Authorities have declared a week-long mourning period starting Monday.

Veterinarian volunteers treat an injured K-9 dog which helped in a search operation, following a strong earthquake, in Bangkok, Thailand, April 1, 2025. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa

Thailand Searches for Survivors in Collapsed Skyscraper

Across the border in Bangkok, Thai rescue workers are still searching for survivors in the debris of an unfinished skyscraper that collapsed during the quake. Nearly four days after the disaster, hopes of finding people alive are fading.

So far, 13 bodies have been recovered from the site, with 74 people still unaccounted for. Thailand’s overall death toll from the earthquake stands at 20.

Officials have launched an investigation into the cause of the collapse, with initial tests revealing that some steel samples from the site were substandard.

To support the grieving families of the victims, search teams plan to bring in emotional support dogs as the difficult rescue efforts continue.