Naypyidaw - Saba:
Burma's ruling junta announced on Saturday that the death toll from the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck the center of the country on Friday rose to 1,644 dead and 3,408 injured, as rescuers intensified their efforts to search for survivors.
The junta's information office said in a statement that at least 139 people are still missing.
The tremors caused scenes of chaos and destruction in Burma, as the collapse of houses, buildings, bridges and religious sites raised fears of a major disaster in a country drained by the ongoing civil war since the junta's coup in 2021.
The country has not seen an earthquake of this magnitude in decades, according to American geologists, and the aftershocks were strong and sparked terror a thousand kilometers from its center, especially among millions of Bangkok residents who rarely feel tremors.
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