UN issued warning , medical supply hindering rescue operations in Myanmar .

A powerful earthquake in Myanmar has resulted in the deaths of at least 1,600 individuals and left over 3,400 injured, with 139 still ‘unaccounted ‘ .As rescue operations efforts to locate survivors are intensifying following the 7.7 magnitude  quake that also affected neighboring Thailand, where 17 fatalities have been reported in Bangkok.

The quake struck near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, early Friday afternoon, followed shortly by a 6.7 magnitude aftershock.

The tremors caused widespread destruction, collapsing buildings, downing bridges, and damaging roads in a city of over 1.7 million residents. 

Rescuers are actively working at the site of collapsed structures, but the United Nations has indicated that rescue efforts are significantly hampered by blocked access and a shortage of medical supplies.

Hospitals in central and northwestern Myanmar, particularly in Mandalay and Sagaing, are overwhelmed with the number of injured, as highlighted by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). 

The organization reported a critical lack of essential medical resources, including trauma kits and blood bags, which is complicating the response to the disaster.

Marcoluigi Corsi, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Myanmar, emphasized that the country was already facing a severe humanitarian crisis due to ongoing conflict and disasters, urging the international community to provide urgent support during this critical time.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports that the recent quake in Myanmar was caused by “strike slip faulting” between the India and Eurasia plates, indicating that these plates moved laterally against each other. 

Bill McGuire, an emeritus professor of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London, explained that the earthquake took place along the Sagaing fault, which delineates the boundary between the Indian plate to the west and the Eurasian plate to the east, with the Indian plate advancing northward along the fault.

The USGS notes that this region has a history of significant strike slip earthquakes, with six events of magnitude 7 or greater occurring within approximately 250 kilometers since 1900.