The U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher will arrive in Myanmar on Friday, according to the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. He appealed for more international funding and rapid, unimpeded aid access in the country.
Guterres said that the Special Envoy for Myanmar, Julie Bishop, will also travel to the country in the coming days “to reinforce our commitment to peace and dialogue.”
“The earthquake has supercharged the suffering – with the monsoon season just around the corner,” Guterres told media. “I appeal for every effort to transform this tragic moment into an opportunity for the people of Myanmar.”
The 7.7-magnitude Myanmar earthquake on March 28 was the strongest in a century, impacting a region home to 28 million people, toppling buildings such as hospitals, flattening communities and leaving many without food, water and shelter.
Deaths rose to 3,085 on Thursday, with 4,715 injured and 341 missing, according to the regime in Naypyidaw. The death toll is expected to rise in the coming days.
REUTERS
