Photo Caption: UNHCR delivers emergency relief items to earthquake-affected people in Chan Thar Kone shelter for internally displaced people (IDPs), who are now sleeping on the ground in the church compound, after the building they were sheltering in collapsed in the earthquake that struck near Mandalay, Myanmar, in March 2025. @UNHCR
On 28 March, a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake followed by a strong aftershock of 6.7 magnitude struck central Myanmar, causing severe loss of life and widespread destruction, reducing homes and civilian infrastructure to rubble.
The epicentre was located close to Sagaing and Mandalay, areas with a significant population of internally displaced people, affecting both regions as well as Nay Pyi Taw, Bago and the southern Shan State.
Some 6.3 million people are expected to be in need of assistance in the worst affected areas. Some 2.1 million people who were previously internally displaced by conflict now find themselves more vulnerable by this disaster. By 23 April, the death toll had surpassed 3,700, with over 5,100 people injured and around 115 missing.
This catastrophe compounds an already dire humanitarian crisis, deepening the hardships faced by both displaced and local communities in areas where humanitarian access remains severely restricted.
