Heavy rain on Saturday sent earthquake survivors in Mandalay, Sagaing and Paleik towns into their temporary shelters to seek cover, or out into the street to flee as the roofs of some shelters were blown away by wind. The unseasonal rain has hindered search and rescue efforts still being carried out at collapsed buildings, according to residents. 

“The strong winds blew off the roofs of temporary shelters where people who had lost their homes in the earthquake had sought refuge,” an aid worker in Mandalay told DVB on condition of anonymity. He added that the town also lost power during the rain.

Paleik is a town in Mandalay Region located 13 miles (21 km) south of Mandalay city. Mandalay and Sagaing – the epicenter of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake on March 28 – were the two hardest-hit regions. 

DVB has documented that 2,759 bodies have been recovered in Mandalay and 695 in Sagaing as of Saturday. 

Aid groups have complained about the “strict” scrutiny at military checkpoints, with some even being forced to turn back in the direction in which they came. The regime also continues to restrict access to the Yangon-Mandalay highway from 12 am to 4 am due to “security concerns.”

“They should allow us to use the highway at all hours, especially in times like this,” a Yangon-based aid worker told DVB on condition of anonymity.

The regime in Naypyidaw announced on Wednesday that anyone who wishes to carry out earthquake relief efforts in Myanmar must seek approval from the local authorities, or its embassies abroad.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) stated on Thursday that the earthquake has affected more than 17 million people across 57 of the country’s 330 townships. 

The hardest-hit areas remain without electricity and water, while telecommunications and internet access are severely disrupted, cutting off affected communities from essential services, UNOCHA added.

At least 4,210 bodies have been recovered, 6,505 people have been injured, 448 are missing and 498 people have been rescued up to Saturday, according to DVB data. The regime updated its death toll on Saturday to 3,471 deaths with 4,671 injuries, and 214 still missing.