Which countries are helping earthquake-hit Myanmar?

MANILA - The powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake that hit Myanmar on March 28 has killed more than 3,000 people and injured 5,000 in a country already ravaged by armed conflict since the military seized power in 2021.

The diplomatically isolated junta has made a rare plea for international help, as has the National Unity Government, made up of lawmakers now in exile following the military coup.

But human rights groups have accused the military of blocking aid after the massive quake that was felt across Southeast Asia in Bangladesh, India, Laos, Thailand and China.

Humanitarian efforts have also been hampered by a series of aftershocks, such as the 5.9-magnitude earthquake northeast of Meiktila City on April 13.

The United Nations has also condemned ongoing airstrikes by the military against rebel groups.

Here's what you need to know about rescue and relief efforts in Myanmar.

Which countries are helping Myanmar?

The U.N.'s Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief agency (OCHA) has said the response to the earthquake in Myanmar "has been hampered by lack of funding".

The United States, once the world's top humanitarian donor, has been slow to offer help. It has pledged just $2 million in disaster assistance and offered to send a three-person assessment team.

President Donald Trump's dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development has impaired his government's ability to respond to the emergency, experts say.

OCHA said its local search and rescue teams were supported by units from several countries including China, India, Russia, Thailand and Bangladesh.

China, which backs Myanmar's government, dispatched relief and rescue teams to Myanmar the day after the earthquake struck. It also promised to donate 1 billion yuan ($137 million) of emergency humanitarian aid assistance to Myanmar.

Britain announced an aid package of up to $13 million to help Myanmar, and Australia pledged an initial $2 million for immediate humanitarian relief.

Three days after the quake, South Korea pledged $2 million in humanitarian assistance to Myanmar and on Monday sent its first shipment of humanitarian aid to the country.

On April 2, Japan sent a team of 32 people, including doctors, nurses and pharmacists, to Myanmar.

What type of aid is needed by Myanmar?

The quake caused significant damage across the Sagaing and Mandalay regions, toppling buildings, including heritage sites, and public infrastructure, the NUG said.

Aid agencies say water, food, shelter, medical supplies, sanitation and other services are urgently needed.

Fernando Thushara, the World Health Organisation's representative in Myanmar, warned that "hospitals were running dry" and that a lack of fresh water and sanitation could fuel outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Extreme weather, such as excessive heat and heavy rain brought by the monsoon season, may also complicate support, aid agencies have warned.

How has Myanmar's conflict worsened the disaster?

U.N. chief Antonio Guterres said the Myanmar quake "has laid bare the deeper vulnerabilities facing people throughout the country" due to the ongoing conflict between the military and opposition forces.

Before the quake, nearly 20 million people, or one-in-three people in Myanmar, already required humanitarian aid due to the civil war, according to the United Nations.

Guterres said he hoped the disaster would provide an opportunity to end the conflict.

But rights groups, including Amnesty International, have said the military's airstrikes in the days after the disaster hindered relief and recovery efforts.

The junta this week announced a temporary ceasefire in operations against rebels until April 22, following a unilateral truce by the opposition alliance. But the U.N. said the military had conducted more than a dozen airstrikes since the ceasefire.

A U.N. expert said the junta had "chosen to violate its own ceasefire".

"It continues to obstruct aid from reaching untold numbers of those in desperate need. This is making a terrible situation devastatingly worse," said Tom Andrews, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar.

Malaysia, the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has called for an extension of the ceasefire to allow humanitarian efforts. Malaysia's prime minister is meeting the head of the junta this week, as ASEAN tries to broker peace.

This article was updated on April 15, at 13:55 GMT with changes through out.

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(Reporting by Mariejo Ramos. Editing by Ayla Jean Yackley.)