The official death toll in Myanmar has surpassed 2,000 following the devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck the country on 28 March 2025.
State broadcaster MRTV confirmed the numbers on 31 March, citing over 3,900 injuries and at least 270 people still missing.
The quake’s epicentre was near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, and the destruction has stretched across much of the country’s central region. Buildings have crumbled, roads are buckled, and power outages have severely affected emergency response.
Reports from the ground describe harrowing scenes. According to state and local sources, 200 Buddhist monks were killed in Mandalay’s U Hla Thein monastery. In the same city, a preschool collapse led to the deaths of 50 children and two teachers.
Some 700 Muslims were killed during Friday prayers when mosques collapsed, according to Tun Kyi of the Spring Revolution Myanmar Muslim Network.
He stated that around 60 mosques had sustained damage or total destruction, though it remains unclear if these deaths are included in the official toll.
Relief efforts have been severely hampered by logistical barriers. Temperatures have soared above 40°C, and with limited access to heavy machinery, many are forced to dig through rubble by hand. Rescuers in Mandalay say they are still searching for more than 150 monks.
In Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city and the area most severely affected by the earthquake, rescue workers conducted search and rescue operations on the 30th at a collapsed building. (Associated Press)
The United Nations and humanitarian agencies have warned that the crisis could spark widespread hunger and disease. According to Marcoluigi Corsi, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Myanmar, nearly 20 million people already required aid before the earthquake.
In a statement, the World Health Organization reported the destruction of three hospitals and partial damage to 22 others. “There is an urgent need for trauma and surgical care, blood transfusion supplies, anaesthetics, essential medicines and mental health support,” the WHO added.
Satellite imagery analysed by Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab shows widespread devastation in Mandalay, identifying 515 buildings with near-total damage and over 1,500 more heavily compromised.
Lauren Ellery, deputy director of programmes in Myanmar for the International Rescue Committee, said, “We’re really not clear on the scale of the destruction at this stage.”
She added that some towns near Mandalay report up to 80% structural collapse, and landslides have isolated entire areas.
Meanwhile, civil war continues to complicate the response. Myanmar has been in conflict since the military overthrew the civilian government in February 2021.
Over 3 million people have been displaced, and government control over large swathes of territory has deteriorated.
According to the UN, many regions are unreachable due to ongoing fighting, and some previously displaced populations had sought refuge in the now-devastated earthquake zone.
Eyewitness accounts from Sagaing, a city close to the epicentre, describe an overwhelmed health system and a dire lack of resources. Residents report mass burials of 10 bodies per grave and crematoriums unable to keep up with the death toll.
“The corpses have been emitting a foul smell since yesterday,” said Aye Moe, a 20-year-old resident of Sagaing, as reported by The Guardian.
“There’s no manpower, and there are almost no young people – some have fled to the forest, others have left the country.”
Another resident, Aung Gyi, 25, described Sagaing as being “reduced to ruins”. He said food, clean water, and basic medical supplies like mosquito coils are in short supply.
Many people have been sleeping outdoors due to destroyed homes and fear of aftershocks, with the monsoon season expected to worsen the situation when it begins in May.
Emergency teams from countries including India, China, Russia and several ASEAN members are now operating in Myanmar. On Monday, an Indian rescue team was seen extracting bodies from collapsed sites in Mandalay.
International donors such as the European Union, Australia, South Korea, and the United States have pledged aid. The US Embassy announced it will provide up to US$2 million via local organisations.
A small US military presence has been sent to Bangkok, where the same quake also caused a partial high-rise collapse, killing 18 and leaving 78 missing.
However, aid delivery remains slow due to ongoing conflict, collapsed bridges, and poor communication infrastructure.
In the words of Burmese doctor Dr Nang Win, based in Australia, “The system from the beginning is not set up, there is no disaster planning. Even in one town in Mandalay it would be more than [1,700 deaths].”
As Myanmar grapples with the compound crises of natural disaster, political instability, and humanitarian need, experts warn that the true toll may take weeks or longer to emerge.
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