Myanmar earthquake death toll crosses 3,000; forecast rains pose new threat for rescuers

BANGKOK: The death toll from Myanmar's devastating earthquake has surpassed 3,000, with hundreds more missing, as forecasts of unseasonal rain presented a new challenge for rescue and aid workers trying to reach people in a country riven by civil war.

The 7.7-magnitude quake last Friday (Mar 28), one of the Southeast Asian nation's strongest in a century, jolted a region home to 28 million, toppling buildings, flattening communities and leaving many without food, water and shelter.

Deaths rose to 3,003 on Wednesday, with 4,515 injured and 351 missing, Myanmar's embassy in Japan said on Facebook, while rescuers scrambled to find more.