The official death toll of the earthquake that shattered central Myanmar surpassed 1,600 people, the country’s military leaders said on Saturday, as desperate rescue workers raced to find survivors and began grappling with a monumental disaster in a nation already racked by civil war.

       The powerful earthquake struck on Friday near Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, and volunteer emergency workers there combed through the ruins of apartments, monasteries and mosques in search of anyone left alive. Stepping over downed power lines and buckled roads, crews toiled as the repressive military authorities kept a watchful eye.

       “There are at least a hundred people still trapped inside,” said Thaw Zin, a volunteer who was sitting in front of a destroyed condominium. “We are trying our best with what we have.”

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       The death toll is expected to rise steeply, although Myanmar’s military junta, which overthrew an elected government in 2021, has sought to restrict what information leaves the country. Preliminary modeling by the U.S. Geological Survey suggested the number of deaths could be more than 10,000.

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       Phyu Lay Khaing is rescued from the collapsed Sky Villa condo before being transported to the hospital in Mandalay on Saturday.Credit...Sai Aung Main/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

       The earthquake has raised questions about whether Myanmar’s military rulers can manage to stay in power, having already lost ground to rebels amid a bloody civil war that has left nearly 20 million of the country’s roughly 54 million people without enough food or shelter even before the quake, according to U.N. officials.

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