Humanitarian operation in Myanmar hindered by damaged roads and infrastructure, says UN agency

GENEVA (Reuters) -Humanitarian operations in Myanmar have been hindered by damaged roads and infrastructure, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Saturday.

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake on Friday severely damaged critical infrastructure including major bridges and roads, making it difficult for humanitarian operations to access areas in need, OCHA said.

"Damage to the Yangon-Nay Pyi Taw-Mandalay expressway led to service disruptions, with cracks and surface distortions forcing highway buses to halt operations", the UN agency said in a statement.

Hospitals in central and northwestern Myanmar are struggling to cope with the influx of people injured in the earthquake, the agency stated. Seventeen cargo trucks of shelter and medical supplies are due to arrive on March 30, to address current shortages of medicines including blood bags and anaesthetics.

Myanmar's military rulers let in hundreds of foreign rescue personnel on Saturday after the earthquake killed more than 1,600 people, the deadliest natural disaster to hit the impoverished, war-torn country in years.

Friday's quake, among the biggest to jolt the Southeast Asian nation in the last century, crippled airports, bridges and highways amid a civil war that has wrecked the economy and displaced millions.

(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)