UK announces massive aid package for Myanmar after devastating earthquake kills more than 1,600

King Charles sends message of condolence to the country

The UK will send a package of aid worth up to £10 million to support people in Myanmar following the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck the country on Friday, the Foreign Office said tonight.

Commenting on the package, Baroness Chapman, the development minister, said: "The UK is sending immediate and life-saving support to the people of Myanmar following the devastating earthquake.

"UK-funded local partners are already mobilising a humanitarian response on the ground, and this £10 million package will bolster their efforts. I offer my deepest sympathies to the people of Myanmar after this tragic event."

The news comes as the confirmed death toll has risen to more than 1,600, according to state television in Myanmar.

The new total of 1,644 is a sharp rise over the 1,002 total announced just hours earlier, underlining the difficulty of confirming casualties over a widespread region and the likelihood that the numbers will continue to grow from Friday’s 7.7 magnitude quake.

The number of injured increased to 3,408, while the missing figure rose to 139. Rescue efforts are under way especially in the major stricken cities of Mandalay and Naypyitaw, the capital.

But even though teams and equipment have been flown in from other nations, they are hindered by the airports in those cities being damaged and apparently unfit to land planes.

A state of emergency has been declared in six regions and states in Myanmar by the military-run government. Myanmar is in the throes of a prolonged and bloody civil war, which is already responsible for a massive humanitarian crisis.

It makes movement around the country both difficult and dangerous, complicating relief efforts and raising fears that the death toll could still rise precipitously.

The earthquake struck at midday on Friday with an epicentre not far from Mandalay, Myanmar’s second biggest city, sending buildings in many areas toppling to the ground and causing widespread damage.

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The earthquake also shook neighbouring Thailand, killing six people and injuring 26 at three construction sites, including one where a partially built high-rise collapsed in Bangkok.

Another 47 people were still missing, authorities said on Saturday. Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said more people were believed to be alive in the wreckage as search efforts continued on Saturday morning.

The King, meanwhile, has sent a message of condolence after the deadly earthquake, as he continues to work while recuperating following his short stay in hospital.

King Charles, who cancelled a busy away day to Birmingham on Friday to prioritise his recovery after experiencing “temporary side effects” from his cancer treatment, sent a message addressed to “the people of Myanmar” on Saturday.

In his message posted on social media, Charles spoke of his and the Queen’s shock and sadness. He said: "My wife and I were most dreadfully shocked and saddened to learn of the devastating earthquake in Myanmar, with its tragic loss of life and appalling damage to homes, buildings and livelihoods, not to mention the destruction of sacred pagodas, monasteries and other places of worship.

"I know that the people of Myanmar continue to endure so much hardship and tragedy in your lives, and I have long admired your extraordinary resilience and spirit. At this most difficult and heartbreaking of times, my wife and I send our deepest possible sympathy to all those who have suffered the profound tragedy of losing their loved ones, their homes and their precious livelihoods."