Myanmar earthquake: UN, relief agencies launch $275 million flash appeal

By Simon D. Kist, 13 April, 2025

Two weeks after 7.7 and 6.4 magnitude earthquakes struck Myanmar, the United Nations and humanitarian partners on Friday launched a $275 million flash appeal as an addendum to the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) to reach 1.1 million people with urgent assistance. The devastating earthquakes have killed at least 3,600 people and left 2 million in critical need of assistance and protection.

The natural disaster also exacerbates the already dire humanitarian situation in Myanmar, where nearly 20 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance across the country before the earthquakes hit, including more than 3.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs).

On March 28, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Myanmar, causing widespread destruction - reducing homes, hospitals, schools and vital infrastructure to rubble in areas where more than 17 million people live.

The 7.7 magnitude quake struck at 12:50 pm local time at a depth of 10 kilometers near Sagaing City in central Myanmar. Just 12 minutes later, a magnitude 6.4 aftershock occurred at 13:02 local time, adding to the devastation, further damaging structures in Mandalay and Sagaing, complicating rescue efforts and causing more casualties.

While nearly 50,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed, at least five other earthquakes with magnitudes of up to 4.8 have been recorded between Mandalay and the capital Naypyidaw in the past seven days.

More than 9.1 million people live in the hardest-hit areas, including Mandalay and Sagaing, where entire communities have been flattened, forcing people to seek shelter in makeshift conditions, often in the open, disrupting markets and bringing essential services, including running water, sanitation and health, to the brink of collapse.

According to a situation update released on Saturday by the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre), 3,600 people have died, 4,800 have been injured and 141 remain missing nationwide in Myanmar, while some 199,000 people have been displaced.

UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and individual countries have rapidly mobilized assistance - including health care, shelter, safe water, hygiene kits and food - and are working closely with local organizations to reach those affected.

According to the AHA Centre, access to water, regular food sources, health and education remains a major concern due to extensive damage to transport infrastructure, communication lines and public facilities such as hospitals, schools and religious sites.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), urgent needs include shelter, food, cash assistance, safe drinking water and water sources for domestic use, health care and sanitation support. OCHA continues to coordinate the emergency response on behalf of humanitarian organizations.

The combination of extreme heat and rainfall poses significant health risks to displaced communities. Further rains forecast for the coming days threaten to worsen living conditions in temporary shelters, which are vulnerable to severe weather.

To further boost efforts on the ground, Tom Fletcher, Emergency Relief Coordinator and head of OCHA, has allocated an additional $5 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for the earthquake response, on top of the $5 million already provided.

The UN is renewing its call for solidarity from the international community to support the people of Myanmar during this emergency, and to help the humanitarian community scale up assistance to the most vulnerable.

The UN Human Rights Office said on Friday that civilians continue to suffer as military operations are ongoing, despite ceasefires declared after last month's tragic earthquake. The Myanmar military has continued to carry out air strikes against civilians and opposition forces in the aftermath of the earthquake. There are also reports of the conscription of civilians assisting in rescue efforts.

“At a moment when the sole focus should be on ensuring humanitarian aid gets to disaster zones, the military is instead launching attacks,” Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), told journalists in Geneva.

“Since the earthquake, military forces have reportedly carried out over 120 attacks – more than half of them after their declared ceasefire was due to have gone into effect on April 2.”

Shamdasani said most of these attacks have involved air and artillery strikes, including in areas impacted by the earthquake.

“Numerous strikes have been reported in populated areas, many of them appearing to amount to indiscriminate attacks and to breach the principle of proportionality in international humanitarian law,” she said.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called on the military to remove all obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian assistance and to cease military operations. He also issued a reminder to all parties in Myanmar of their obligations under international law to allow humanitarian workers to reach those in need.

Myanmar has been in the grip of a brutal civil war since a military coup more than four years ago. Armed conflict between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and various non-state armed groups (NSAGs) continues to endanger civilian lives, with clashes, shelling, airstrikes and drone attacks causing civilian casualties in several states and regions.

In a situation report on Saturday, OCHA warned that the earthquake had exposed and displaced unexploded ordnance, significantly increasing the risks to affected communities.

Prior to the earthquake, Myanmar was already facing one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, with 19.9 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, including more than 6.5 million children, due to armed conflict, climate-related disasters such as cyclones and severe flooding, and disease outbreaks.

Myanmar is also experiencing a severe hunger crisis, with 15.2 million people - one in four - facing food insecurity this year. Aid agencies say they are deeply concerned about the potential worsening of humanitarian needs in the aftermath of the disaster.

Further Information

Full text: Myanmar Earthquake: HNRP Flash Addendum, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, report, published April 11, 2025
https://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/myanmar-earthquake-hnrp-flash-addendum-issued-april-2025

Full text: Myanmar: Earthquake Response Situation Report No. 2 (As of 12 April 2025), UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, report, published April 12, 2025
https://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/myanmar-earthquake-response-situation-report-no-2-12-april-2025

Full text: Situation Update No. 8 - M7.7 Mandalay Earthquake, ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre), report, published April 12, 2025
https://ahacentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/AHA-Situation_Update-no8-M7.7-EQ-in-Mandalay-MMf.pdf

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