Rescue efforts were less active in the central Myanmar city of more than 1.7 million people early Monday, but conditions are difficult -- with temperatures expected to reach around 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
The sticky heat has exhausted rescue workers and accelerated body decomposition, which could complicate identification.
A desperate scene unfolded at a collapsed apartment block in Myanmar's second biggest city on Sunday evening, when rescuers thought they had saved the life of a pregnant woman trapped under the rubble for more than 55 hours.
They amputated her leg to free her, but after pulling her out she was pronounced dead.
"We tried everything to save her," said one of the medical responders, but she had lost too much blood from the amputation.
Muslim worshipers, meanwhile, gathered near a destroyed mosque in the city on Monday morning for the first prayer of Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that follows the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.
Funerals for hundreds of victims are also expected to take place on Monday.
The initial 7.7-magnitude quake struck near Mandalay early Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock.
The tremors collapsed buildings, downed bridges and buckled roads, with some of the worst destruction seen in central Myanmar.
- Aftershocks cause panic -
Aftershocks continued to be felt in Mandalay over the weekend, spurring residents to flee into the streets in multiple instances of brief panic.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies launched an emergency appeal Sunday for more than $100 million to help victims.
The world's largest humanitarian network said needs were growing by the hour as rising temperatures and the approaching monsoon season increase the risk of "secondary crises".
The challenges facing the Southeast Asian country of over 50 million people were immense even before the earthquake.
Myanmar has been ravaged by four years of civil war sparked by a military coup in 2021.
Reports have emerged of sporadic fighting even after the quake, with one rebel group telling AFP on Sunday that seven of its fighters were killed in an aerial attack soon after the tremors hit.
Before Friday's quake, some 3.5 million people were displaced by the raging civil war, many at risk of hunger.
- Bangkok building collapse -
In the Thai capital of Bangkok -- about 1,000 kilometres away from Mandalay -- rain fell on Monday morning at the site of a collapsed building that had been under construction at the time of Friday's quake.
At least 18 people have been killed in Bangkok, city authorities said Sunday, with 33 injured and 78 still missing.
Most of the deaths were workers killed in the tower collapse, while most of the missing are believed to be trapped under the immense pile of debris where the skyscraper once stood.
Rescue workers raced over the weekend to find survivors, using large mechanical diggers to uncover rubble while distressed family members waited nearby.
Sniffer dogs and thermal imaging drones have been deployed to seek signs of life in the collapsed building, which is close to the Chatuchak weekend market popular among tourists.
Myanmar quake: a nation unprepared for disaster
Bangkok (AFP) Mar 30, 2025 -
Ravaged by four years of civil war, Myanmar is ill-prepared to cope with the destruction brought by Friday's massive earthquake.
The 7.7-magnitude quake that struck central Myanmar has killed more than 1,600 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
But the bloody conflict sparked by the 2021 military coup has brought the country's infrastructure, healthcare system and power network to their knees.
Here are some of the challenges facing relief efforts in Myanmar:
- Humanitarian crisis -
The United Nations and aid agencies have warned that millions were already facing a dire humanitarian crisis before the quake, and are now in urgent need of yet more aid.
Much of the country was already plagued by a punishing mix of conflict, poverty and instability after the civil war that left 3.5 million people displaced and smashed the economy.
"We have estimated that 19.9 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and this is just before the earthquake," said UN humanitarian coordinator in Myanmar Marcoluigi Corsi.
"The situation will be further aggravated."
Before the quake, the World Food Programme (WFP) said more than 15 million out of a population of 51 million were unable to meet their daily food needs.
Just two days after the quake, the UN said the aid effort was being hampered by a severe lack of medical supplies, while rescuers on the ground have pleaded for more equipment to comb ruined buildings for survivors.
The quake also struck Myanmar at a time when US President Donald Trump has slashed jobs and funding to Washington's foreign aid agency.
Trump has promised US help but one million civilians in Myanmar face WFP aid cuts after he took an axe to the US Agency for International Development.
Countries around the world have begun sending rescue teams and aid shipments.
- Junta rule -
The junta, led by General Min Aung Hlaing, has lost control of large parts of Myanmar throughout the conflict, though it remains in charge of major cities including Mandalay -- the closest to the quake epicentre and worst hit.
But many civil servants chose to switch sides following the military coup and join resistance to the junta.
This loss of personnel has further weakened an already antiquated civil administration, making the management and distribution of relief efforts harder.
In a sign of the enormity of the disaster -- and perhaps in a tacit admission of the state's inability to respond -- Min Aung Hlaing issued a rare appeal for foreign aid on Friday.
This marked a major shift from previous military rulers who shunned all international assistance.
Poverty is rampant, the economy shattered, and international sanctions combined with the expense of fighting the civil war have drained the junta's coffers.
- Splintered control -
Much of Myanmar is controlled by a shifting patchwork of junta forces, ethnic armed groups and pro-democracy partisans.
The complex mosaic of control on the ground, often involving competing groups with different agendas, may further frustrate efforts to move relief resources to where they are needed around the country.
Sagaing city -- near the quake's epicentre -- has seen some of the heaviest fighting between junta forces and armed resistance groups.
Ethnic armed groups, border militias and the military have all been vying for control of local resources, spurring fears there will be a similar tussle for aid.
- Poor infrastructure -
Myanmar's infrastructure and medical system have been ravaged by the civil war.
The junta has bombed hospitals in rebel-held areas and many doctors have abandoned government medical facilities to join the rebellion.
The UN has said hospitals in Mandalay, Magway and the capital Naypyidaw "are struggling to cope with the influx of people injured".
The country was already beset by phone and internet blackouts but the quake has further hurt communications and the ability to direct aid to the most in need.
Internet communications in Mandalay were patchy and land and air routes severely disrupted after the quake buckled roads.
With many houses collapsed, the UN and other NGOs say solutions are needed for the many left homeless.
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