Myanmar's deadliest natural disaster in years has strengthened the position of ruling general, Min Aung Hlaing, by opening diplomatic channels closed for four years after his junta ousted an elected government to unleash a brutal civil war.

Here’s what to know about the challenges from the natural disaster—compounded by ongoing civil war—and where the country could go from here.

More than 2,700 people have been killed and 4,500 injured after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit Myanmar last Friday.

Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has also rejected calls for a ceasefire to facilitate the delivery of desperately needed relief supplies.

Members of the Chinese Red Cross International Emergency Response Team work at a collapsed residential building following the earthquake, in Mandalay, Myanmar March 31, 2025. China Daily via REUTERS/File Photo BANGKOK/BEIJING (Reuters) - After a 7.

Myanmar's junta said on Wednesday its troops fired warning shots at a Chinese Red Cross aid convoy, underlining the challenge of delivering relief amid a civil war as aid groups called for better access to help survivors of a devastating earthquake.

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake rattled much of Southeast Asia on Friday, flattening skyscrapers and leaving more than 1,000 people dead from Myanmar to Thailand.

Remarkable rescue stories from Myanmar's earthquake ruins are keeping hope alive, but aid agencies say time is running out fast, and the need for help is vast.

Footage captured in Sagaing, Myanmar showed buildings and other infrastructure severely damaged after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocked the country Friday.