BANGKOK, March 28 (Bernama-dpa) -- The Red Cross in Myanmar has reported devastating damage following Friday's strong earthquakes, according to the German news agency (dpa).
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has spoken to staff in the affected region, according to the IFRC programme manager on the ground, Marie Manrique.
There is great concern that dams on the Irrawaddy River may have been damaged and could break.
According to Manrique, 18.5 million people live in the affected area near the city of Sagaing, where two quakes - of an estimated magnitude of 7.7 and 6.4 - were recorded on Friday.
Many of them are displaced due to the ongoing fighting in the country since the 2021 military coup.
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), around 1.6 million of the 3.5 million displaced people in Myanmar live in the region hit by the earthquake.
"We are very concerned about the possible humanitarian consequences," said Manrique. "We expect a lot of people to be injured."
-- BERNAMA-dpa
