Myanmar shaken by 112 earthquake aftershock

Yangon

As of Thursday Myanmar has faced 112 aftershocks after a strong earthquake of 7.9 magnitude hit the country on March 28. These aftershocks ranged from 2.8 to 7.5 in strength, said the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.

So far, 3,649 people have died, and 5,018 were injured. Around 145 people are still missing, according to Myanmar’s State Administration Council. Many buildings and services were damaged. Over 6,700 mobile communication towers stopped working. While 5,999 towers have been fixed, 731 are still being repaired.

The earthquake also affected postal services. Fifteen post offices had to close for a short time, but they reopened on March 31.

Because of the damage, Myanmar has made changes to its traditional New Year celebration, the Ata Thingyan Festival. The event, which runs from April 13 to 16, will be held without music or dancing. The Yangon City Development Committee also canceled the building of the water festival pavilion and the Thingyan Walk near City Hall.

This is the first Thingyan Festival since it was added to UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Myanmar’s New Year Day will be on April 17. Officials say they want to respect the people who died and focus on recovery.

Rescue and repair efforts are still going on across the country.