The UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee appeal raised £7.5million on just its first day to help those impacted by the quake, which has left over 3,100 people dead in Myanmar
The King and Queen are among those who have donated to a multi-million pound Myanmar earthquake charity appeal. Over 3,100 are said to have died in the disaster in the country and more than 4,500 injured. The UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal raised £7.5million on just its first day.
Regular supporters Charles and Camilla have made a “generous” donation, according to the DEC. Saleh Saeed, chief executive of the DEC, said: “We are extremely grateful to all the people who have already donated to the DEC Myanmar Earthquake Appeal. Once again, the UK public have shown their immense generosity and desire to help those impacted by disasters.
The stories we are now hearing from the survivors who have managed to escape the ruins of flattened buildings are harrowing. “Children have lost their families. Thousands have suffered life-changing injuries.
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Countless more have had their homes and possessions destroyed. Life-saving aid is already being delivered by member charities using funds donated to the DEC. But we can reach more people, families and children with your donations. If you are able – please help.”
The DEC – made up of 15 UK aid agencies such as the British Red Cross, Oxfam and Save the Children – issued an urgent appeal for funds to help the thousands injured and displaced.
The UK government is matching pound-for-pound up to £5 million donated by the public in the appeal. The £7.5million includes some of the pound-for-pound government funding.
On Friday, more bodies were pulled from the ruins of buildings by search teams – a week after the quake hit. The focus has turned towards the urgent humanitarian needs in Myanmar, a nation already devastated by civil war.
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On Thursday, Myanmar authorities said 3,145 people had been killed – with another 4,589 people injured and 221 missing, Five bodies were recovered from the rubble in the capital Naypyitaw and Mandalay, the second-largest city, near the epicentre of the 7.7 magnitude quake on March 28, authorities said.
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The last reported rescue came on Wednesday, some 125 hours after it struck, when a man was saved from the wreckage of a hotel in Mandalay. Neighbouring Thailand was also shaken by the quake, with a high-rise under construction in Bangkok brought down.
Overall, 22 people have been found dead and 35 injured in Thailand’s capital, primarily from the construction site.
In 2021, Myanmar’s military seized power from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi – sparking what has turned into a civil war. The quake has worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis, with over three million people displaced from their homes and almost 20 million in need even before it hit, according to the UN.
