Myanmar quake death toll passes 1,600, as junta lets in foreign rescuers

"The Chairman of the State Administration Council instructed authorities to expedite search and rescue efforts and address any urgent needs," the junta said in a statement on state media, referring to Min Aung Hlaing. "Due to significant damage, Naypyitaw and Mandalay international airports are temporarily closed," said the NUG, which includes remnants of the elected civilian government ousted by the military in a 2021 coup that triggered the civil war. The quake, which hit around lunchtime on Friday, affected wide swathes of Myanmar, from the central plains around Mandalay to the hills of Shan in the east, parts of which are not completely under the junta's control.