More assistance urged for quake-hit Myanmar

One month after being rocked by a devastating earthquake, millions of people in Myanmar remain in need of more humanitarian assistance from the international community to help with the recovery process that could take months and even years, aid groups said while China's relief efforts were appreciated.

More than 6.3 million people are in urgent need of support, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Myanmar, Marcoluigi Corsi, said in a statement on Monday.

Additional and quick disbursement of resources and sustained access to all communities are vital to ensure the situation does not deteriorate further for people already living with severe needs, Corsi said.

"I call on the international community to stand with them — and to support their right to live in safety and dignity," the UN official added.

On March 28, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar. The toll stood at 3,770 people killed and over 5,000 people injured as of Monday, the state-owned daily The Mirror reported.

More than 150 aftershocks have taken place since the quake, according to Myanmar's Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.

"Thousands and thousands of families are still living out in the open. They are living in the tents or under tarpaulins that they have put together with wooden poles," said Nadia Khoury, head of delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, or IFRC, in Myanmar.

As the cyclone and monsoon seasons will start soon, Khoury told China Daily that the situation will be even more challenging, so more support from the international community is needed.

Khoury said the IFRC has been working with its members, including the Myanmar Red Cross Society, to provide safe drinking water, mobile clinic service, emergency shelter and relief items, as well as specific items to meet the needs of children and women.

Emergency appeal

"We are also very eager to swiftly move for early recovery for those individuals," said Khoury, adding the IFRC had launched a 100 million Swiss Francs ($121 million) emergency appeal.

Khoury praised the quick response by the Red Cross Society of China, or RCSC, which sent a rescue team just one day after the earthquake.

"They have provided very generous support," Khoury said, adding that she expects more cooperation with the RCSC in terms of expertise sharing and distribution of relief items.

Apart from the 100 million yuan ($13.7 million) worth of emergency humanitarian aid announced soon after the earthquake, China also pledged 1 billion yuan in additional aid to Myanmar, with expert teams to be sent for healthcare and reconstruction, according to the Chinese embassy in Myanmar.

Globally, a number of organizations have launched fundraising appeals to support Myanmar. On April 28, the United Nations Population Fund launched a flash appeal for $12 million to provide assistance to nearly 700,000 people, with a focus on essential sexual and reproductive health services.

Noting that the earthquake has exacerbated preexisting vulnerabilities in Myanmar, which is facing severe humanitarian challenges due to domestic conflict, the International Rescue Committee, a nongovernmental organization in New York, said in a statement that more funding is required to deliver life-saving aid, restore essential services, and prevent further loss of life.