The death toll in Burma from Friday’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake has topped 2,000 and is expected to rise significantly as rescuers try to reach people buried under rubble. At least 19 people also died in Thailand. The World Health Organization is warning healthcare facilities in Burma are overwhelmed as aid and humanitarian groups express alarm over the devastation.

Su Mon Htay: “People are just desperate, devastated. And when I see the damage at the bridges and the roads, it was so huge. I have never seen anything like that in my life before. … We were so astonished when we see the situation in Mandalay. Everything is like gone, and people are still trapped. And the casualties and everything is still counting.”

The New York Times reports President Trump’s dismantling of USAID has hampered the U.S. response to the earthquake in Burma. While China, Russia and India quickly sent emergency teams, a three-person team from the U.S. is not expected to arrive until Wednesday. On Friday, some employees at USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance received layoff emails while they were preparing to respond to the earthquake.

Burma is one of Asia’s poorest nations and has been ruled by a military junta since a coup in 2021. Over the weekend, rebel groups accused the junta of carrying out airstrikes following the earthquake.