UNICEF Myanmar Earthquake Flash Update No.4

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

On Friday 28 March 2025, two powerful earthquakes – the first of magnitude 7.7 hit at 12:50 pm (local time), swiftly followed twelve minutes later by a second of magnitude 6.4. Both earthquakes occurred at a depth of 10 km, centred approximately 16 km north-north-west of Sagaing city, and 19 km north-west of Mandalay city, Myanmar’s second largest city. Strong tremors were also felt in neighbouring countries, including Thailand. According to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrological (DMH), as of 4 April, Myanmar has experienced 73 aftershocks ranging from magnitudes 2.8 to 7.5.

In the past week since the devastating earthquakes, it is reported that more than 3,000 people have died, nearly 5,000 people have been injured, and over 370 remain missing nationwide. While rescue teams are continuing to search through the rubble, the chances of finding survivors in the debris is rapidly diminishing.

Significant destruction has been reported, including the collapse of homes, offices, mosques, monasteries, and critical public infrastructure, including roads, bridges, water supply and electricity networks, communications towers and schools. As per OCHA, it is estimated that more 17 million people across 57 townships have been affected with more than 9 million severely affected by the highest tremble.

Initial Rapid Needs Assessments (RNA) covering 326,000 people across 13 townships in Bago Region, Mandalay, Region, and southern Shan indicate their priority needs include food, drinking water, healthcare, cash assistance and emergency shelter. As of 3 April 2025, 88 assessments have been conducted by WASH partners in 50 villages and 13 townships. As per assessment results, nearly 17,000 latrines have been destroyed by the earthquake, indicating a significant need for sanitation facilities.

In October 2024, Mandalay experienced a cholera and acute water diarrhoea (AWD) outbreak and with the earthquake damaging water and sanitation infrastructure and limiting access to healthcare, there is a high-risk of a renewed outbreak among displaced populations. Five AWD cases have been officially reported in Sagaing although social media reports that there are 95 cases, indicating the outbreak could be progressing. With many people sleeping out in the open or in overcrowded shelters, there are also concerns of rising cases of malaria, dengue and acute respiratory infections.

The earthquake has exacerbated child protection (CP) and gender-based violence (GBV) risks. From the CP-GBV observational assessment, partners highlight that children are increasingly playing unsupervised, and in dangerous areas, and girls are being given the responsibility to collect aid distributions. Children and caregivers are showing signs of fear and anxiety. The assessment also found overcrowded living conditions with no separation between children and adults, or by gender, as well as inadequate and unsafe bathing facilities, with many children and adolescents bathing in streams with no privacy. The CP risks will continue to increase over coming weeks and months, including risks of unsafe migration and trafficking, negative coping mechanisms in families including violence in the home, recruitment and child labour. There is an urgent need to establish child friendly spaces, and to support partners with family tracing and reunification, and case management. Children in emergencies face increased risks of psychological distress and trauma, therefore mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) is an ongoing need for children and caregivers.

Myanmar is facing one of the deadliest landmine and explosive ordnance (EO) crises, with 2,998 casualties recorded from 2021 to 2024. Following recent earthquakes, the risk of EO contamination has intensified, necessitating urgent humanitarian mine action to ensure safe responses and facilitate the return of displaced communities. Earthquakes can destabilise explosives, unearth hidden hazards, and scatter dangerous debris, heightening the risk of death and injury among both affected populations and responders.

UNICEF and Education Cluster partners are assessing the damage to educational infrastructure. Assessment to date reveals significant damage to both public and monastic schools, especially in Mandalay, Sagaing, Nay Pyi Daw and Shan (South). Furthermore, several temporary learning centres have been damaged or destroyed in Kayah, Shan (South) and Kayin. In the earthquake-affected regions of Northwest, some children enrolled in education programmes are reportedly struggling to separate from their parents due to fear of secondary disasters, hindering their ability to continue learning. It will be important to start making arrangements for the provision of learning materials, temporary learning facilities and for minor repairs to ensure learning can resume when schools are due to reopen after the Water Festival. Addressing the mental health and psychosocial needs of children and teachers is also paramount.