Three days after a devastating earthquake, rescue teams are struggling due to a lack of equipment to search through debris and assist survivors.

Myanmar has reported an increase in the number of deaths caused by last week’s destructive earthquake to over 1,700.

The country’s military-led government announced the increased number of casualties on Sunday and declared a week of mourning starting from Monday. However, the search and rescue efforts are being hampered by a lack of resources, equipment, and damaged infrastructure.

The earthquake, measuring a magnitude of 7.7, struck Myanmar at midday on Friday, resulting in widespread destruction, including the capital Naypitaw. A weaker tremor, measuring 6.4, followed shortly after.

The earthquake’s epicenter was about 17km (11 miles) west of the country’s second-largest city, Mandalay, which has a population of nearly 1.5 million.

According to Major-General Zaw Min Tun, a government spokesman, over 3,400 people have been injured and more than 300 are missing in the Mandalay region. Tremors in the area caused damage to infrastructure such as mosques, bridges, and the city’s airport.

The earthquake also affected neighboring Thailand, where at least 18 people were killed, many at a construction site in Bangkok where a partially built high-rise collapsed.

Slow rescue efforts

Rescuers have expressed concerns that the search for survivors is facing challenges. They have noted that in such disasters, most survivors need to be rescued within three days if they are to survive.

Myanmar’s neighbors, including India, China, Malaysia, and Singapore, have sent aircraft and warships carrying relief supplies.

Wai Phyo, a rescue worker in Myanmar, told Al Jazeera that recovery teams in Mandalay are overwhelmed by the scale of destruction and the lack of “proper equipment”.

The actual number of casualties and injuries in the region is likely much higher than the official figures. However, due to telecommunication outages, the extent of the damage in many areas remains unknown.

Lauren Ellery, the deputy director of programs in Myanmar for the International Rescue Committee, stated that the scale of destruction is currently unclear. This is due to damaged infrastructure and ongoing landslides caused by the quake, complicating the operations.

“There is a town near Mandalay where 80% of the buildings reportedly collapsed, but it wasn’t mentioned in the news due to slow telecommunications,” Ellery said.

The lack of heavy machinery has also slowed down the search and rescue operations, forcing many to search for survivors by hand in the intense heat, with daily temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).