Myanmar’s ruling military government has announced a temporary ceasefire in operations against armed opposition groups to aid recovery efforts following Friday’s devastating earthquake.
The truce will run from April 2 to April 22, state-run MRTV said on Wednesday.
More than 2,700 people have died in Myanmar following Friday’s quake, the government says. Hundreds more remain missing, meaning the death toll is expected to rise.
The country has also been embroiled in civil war for four years sparked by a bloody and economically destructive military coup, which has seen junta forces battle rebel groups across the country.
The coup and ensuing conflict has battered its health infrastructure, leaving it ill-equipped to deal with major natural disasters.
Swathes of the country lie outside the control of the military junta and are a run by a patchwork of ethnic rebels and militias, making compiling reliable information extremely difficult.
MRTV also reported Wednesday that chairman of the State Administration Council (SAC) Min Aung Hlaing will attend a regional summit in Thailand on April 3-4 to discuss the respinse to the earthquake.
This is a developing story and will be updated.