The surprise announcement by the unelected government said the halt in fighting would run until April 22 to show compassion for people affected by last week's quake.

The death toll from the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit Myanmar has risen to more than 1,700 as more bodies have been pulled from the rubble

The UK's Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is launching an appeal to help the thousands of people injured and displaced as a result of last week's powerful earthquake which struck Myanmar and the wider region.

But Myanmar took the full force — and is far less well equipped to deal with the aftermath. The state’s capacity has been further eroded since the military toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021.

Myanmar’s ruling military has announced a temporary ceasefire in operations against armed opponents effective April 2 to April 22 following last week’s deadly earthquake, state-run MRTV said on Wednesday.

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

Two survivors have been pulled from under the rubble of collapsed buildings in Myanmar, more than five days after the country was struck by a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake.

Rescuers pulled two men alive from the ruins of a hotel in Myanmar's capital on Wednesday and a third from a guesthouse in another city, five days after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake.

Multiple Western aid agencies said they have struggled to get personnel into Myanmar as the ruling junta leads the response to the country's largest natural disaster in years.

Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing will attend the regional BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok this week, Thailand's foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura did not specify if Min Aung Hlaing would attend the meeting in-person or remotely.