The death toll from last week's powerful earthquake in Myanmar has exceeded 2,000, according to state news sources.
Rescuers and activists say hundreds of Muslims have died during Ramadan prayers at mosques, while 200 Buddhist monks were killed when a monastery collapsed.
Aid agencies and the United Nations have expressed concerns that the earthquake could worsen hunger and disease outbreaks in a country that is already one of the most difficult places in the world for humanitarian work due to civil conflict.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck on Friday, with its epicentre near Myanmar's second-largest city, Mandalay.
The disaster damaged the city's airport, deformed roads and destroyed hundreds of buildings across a vast area in the center of the country.
The aid effort is hampered by power outages, fuel shortages and communication problems.
A shortage of heavy equipment is slowing search and rescue operations, forcing many to search for survivors by hand in temperatures above 40°C.
Rescuers working at the collapsed U Hla Thein monastery in Mandalay said they were continuing to search for about 150 dead monks.
Tun Kyi, a member of the leadership committee of the Spring Revolution organization in Myanmar, said about 700 Muslims attending Friday prayers were killed when mosques collapsed.
About 60 mosques were damaged or destroyed, he said.
Videos posted on the Irrawaddy news website showed several mosques collapsing.
It is not known whether this data has already been taken into account in official reports.
Myanmar's state television channel MRTV reported that military leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing informed Pakistan's prime minister in a phone call that 2,065 people had been killed, more than 3,900 were injured and about 270 were missing.
Rescue agencies expect these figures to rise significantly as access to remote areas where communications are disrupted is difficult.
The UN country team in Myanmar has called for unimpeded access for humanitarian organizations.
“Even before this earthquake, almost 20 million people in Myanmar needed humanitarian assistance,” said Marcoluigi Corsi, UN Permanent Representative and Coordinator
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
