‘125,000 truckloads’ of debris need removal in quake-hit Myanmar: UN

The devastating earthquake that hit Myanmar last month has displaced tens of thousands and left the conflict-hit country in urgent need of large-scale debris removal, the United Nations said Monday.

"At least two and half million tonnes of debris -- roughly 125,000 truckloads -- must be removed in Myanmar," the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in a statement, pointing to new data generated by remote sensing data.

Two weeks on from the 7.7-magnitude quake, which killed more than 3,600, the central cities of Mandalay and Sagaing lie devastated, while more than 60,000 people have crowded into temporary displacement sites, the agency said.