Focus on humanitarian crisis a week after Myanmar quake

Search teams in Myanmar recovered more bodies from the ruins of buildings, a week after a massive earthquake killed more than 3100 people, as the focus turns toward the urgent humanitarian needs in a country already devastated by a continuing civil war.

United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher will visit the area on Friday in an effort to spur action following the March 28 quake.

Before the visit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the international community to immediately step up funding for quake victims and urged unimpeded access to reach those in need.

"The earthquake has supercharged the suffering with the monsoon season just around the corner," he said.

Myanmar's military and several key armed resistance groups have declared ceasefires following the earthquake to ease the flow of humanitarian aid.

But the UN's Human Rights Office on Friday accused the military of continuing attacks, claiming there were more than 60 attacks after the earthquake, including 16 since the military announced a temporary ceasefire on Wednesday.

"I urge a halt to all military operations, and for the focus to be on assisting those impacted by the quake, as well as ensuring unhindered access to humanitarian organisations that are ready to support," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said.

"I hope this terrible tragedy can be a turning point for the country towards an inclusive political solution."

Announcing its ceasefire, the military also said it would still take "necessary" measures against resistance groups if they used the ceasefire to regroup, train or launch attacks, and the groups have said they reserve the right to defend themselves.

Myanmar's military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into a civil war.

The quake worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis, with more than three million people displaced from their homes and nearly 20 million in need even before it hit, according to the UN.

Myanmar authorities said on Thursday that 3145 people had been killed in the earthquake, with another 4589 people injured and 221 missing, and did not immediately update the figures on Friday.

The World Food Program said it had reached 24,000 survivors but was scaling up its efforts to assist 850,000 with food and cash assistance.

Many international search and rescue teams are on the scene, and eight medical crews from China, Thailand, Japan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Philippines, Indonesia and Russia are operating in Naypyitaw, according to Myanmar's military-run government.

Teams from India, Russia, Laos and Nepal and Singapore are helping in the Mandalay region, while teams from Russia, Malaysia and the ASEAN bloc are assisting around Sagaing.

On Friday, five bodies were recovered from the rubble in the capital Naypyitaw and the city of Mandalay, near the epicentre of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake on March 28, authorities said.

The last reported rescue was on Wednesday, 125 hours after the quake struck, when a man was saved from the wreckage of a hotel in Mandalay.

The quake also shook neighbouring Thailand, bringing down a high-rise under construction in Bangkok, where recovery work continues.

Overall, 22 people have been found dead and 35 injured in Bangkok, primarily from the construction site.