Myanmar junta declares temporary truce for quake relief efforts

Army faced criticism for continuing attacks despite two major insurgent groups announcing ceasefires

People line up for food aid in Sagaing, near the epicentre of the earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28. AFP

Myanmar's ruling military has declared a temporary ceasefire with insurgent groups until April 22 to enable relief efforts following last week's deadly earthquake, state-run media reported.

The temporary ceasefire, announced by the MRTV channel in its nightly news bulletin on Wednesday, follows criticism of the military leadership for continuing attacks on rebel groups amid rescue and relief operations for survivors of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck on Friday.

The death toll rose to 2,886 on Wednesday in Myanmar, with another 4,639 injured, according to MRTV. More than three million people have been displaced, according to the United Nations.

Two of the major groups fighting the military had already declared ceasefires because of the earthquake. The Three Brotherhood Alliance, one of a powerful group of militias that has taken a large swathe of the country from the military, announced a unilateral one-month ceasefire on Tuesday to facilitate the humanitarian response. The shadow opposition National Unity Government, founded by lawmakers ousted in the military's 2021 coup, also declared a ceasefire by its forces.

The army statement announcing its ceasefire said these groups must refrain from attacking the state or regrouping, or else the military would take “necessary” measures, MRTV said.

Countries have sent rescue teams and aid to Myanmar, which had been become internationally isolated following the coup. At least three people were pulled alive from the rubble of collapsed buildings on Wednesday.

The site of a collapsed building, following a strong earthquake, in Bangkok, Thailand. Reuters

People bathe in the Irrawaddy River in front of the collapsed Ava Bridge, also known as the Inwa Bridge, in Sagaing. AFP

Members of the National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) and the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) attend the departure ceremony for Indonesia's humanitarian aid mission to Myanmar following the earthquake at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in Jakarta. AFP

Members of K9 USAR, a specially trained dog unit, works at the site of an under-construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand. AP

Chinese rescuers search for earthquake victims at the collapsed Sky Villa in Mandalay, Myanmar. EPA

A worker transports the body of a victim to be buried at the Aye Yate Nyein Cemetery in Mandalay. AFP

A combination picture of satellite images of the tower in Bangkok, Thailand taken on December 25, 2024 and after it collapsed during an earthquake on March 28. Reuters

People queue for relief supplies near the earthquake's epicentre, in Sagaing, Myanmar. Reuters

A collapsed bridge near the epicentre in Sagaing. Reuters

Rescuers work to find residents trapped under the rubble of the collapsed Sky Villa Condominium development in Mandalay, Myanmar. AFP

Rescue workers assess a building that collapsed in Bangkok. EPA

Rescuers search for survivors in the rubble of the Sky Villa Condominium building in Mandalay. AFP

A health worker helps a fainted rescuer at the Sky Villa. EPA

A Cambodian woman wipes her tear while waiting for news of her missing brother and sister-in-law at the site of an under-construction building collapse in Bangkok. AFP

Muslims offer morning prayers to start the Eid Al Fitr festival, marking the end of Ramadan, on a road near demolished mosques in Mandalay. AFP

In the capital, Naypyitaw, a team of Turkish and local rescue workers used an endoscopic camera to locate a man trapped on a lower floor of the hotel where he worked and pulled him out alive. MRTV reported later that another man was pulled out alive from the same building, more than 121 hours after the quake struck.

Another man was rescued by a team of Malaysian and local crews from a collapsed guesthouse in the Sagaing township, near the epicentre of the earthquake, close to Myanmar's second-largest city Mandalay.

The earthquake also rocked neighbouring Thailand, causing the collapse of a high-rise building under construction in Bangkok. One body was removed from the rubble early on Wednesday, raising the death toll in Bangkok to 22 with 35 injured, primarily at the construction site.