BANGKOK — Ravaged by four years of civil war, Myanmar is ill-prepared to cope with the destruction brought by Friday’s massive earthquake.
The 7.7-magnitude quake that struck central
Ravaged by four years of civil war, Myanmar is ill-prepared to cope with the destruction brought by Friday’s massive earthquake.
The 7.7-magnitude quake that struck central Myanmar has killed more than 1,600 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
But the bloody conflict sparked by the 2021 military coup has brought the country’s infrastructure, healthcare system and power network to their knees.
Here are some of the challenges facing relief efforts in Myanmar:
The United Nations and aid agencies have warned that millions were already facing a dire humanitarian crisis before the quake, and are now in urgent need of yet more aid.
Much of the country was already plagued by a punishing mix of conflict, poverty and instability after the civil war that left 3.5 million people displaced and smashed the economy.
“We have estimated that 19.9 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and this is just before the earthquake,” said UN humanitarian coordinator in Myanmar Marcoluigi Corsi.
“The situation will be further aggravated.”
Before the quake, the World Food Program (WFP) said more than 15 million out of a population of 51 million were unable to meet their daily food needs.
