Call for more aid to help people affected by powerful earthquake

The World Health Organization has made an emergency appeal for £6 million to help the people of Myanmar after Friday's earthquake.

Aid and emergency supplies are arriving in Myanmar in South East Asia, after a powerful earthquake struck on Friday.

The quake hit near Myanmar's second largest city, Mandalay.

The effects could be felt in neighbouring countries China, Bangladesh and Thailand, more than a thousand kilometres away.

Aid agencies say recovery from the disaster could take years.

Buildings, roads and structures were damaged.

Thousands of people have been injured and many have lost their lives.

A state of emergency has been declared in several regions of Myanmar and rescue teams are working around the clock to help those affected.

Smaller earthquakes, known as aftershocks, have been recorded and residents near the epicentre have been told there might be further smaller quakes to come.

The United Nations (UN) has said that Myanmar urgently needs more aid supplies.

A building collapsed in the Thai capital Bangkok after tremors travelled from the earthquake's epicentre in Myanmar

The UK government has said that it will work with teams in Myanmar, pledging £10m of support, to send food, water, medicine and shelter.

But there have been four years of civil war in Myanmar, which makes getting aid into the country more difficult.

Aid organisations are hoping that fighting there can stop and the requests for help can be fully answered.

International rescue teams have been joining the disaster effort, with several countries sending assistance to Myanmar. These include:

• China sending an 82-person rescue team

• A 51-person team arriving from Hong Kong on Sunday

• India sending an aid flight carrying a rescue team and emergency supplies

• Malaysia's foreign ministry saying it would send a 50-person team to support disaster relief operations

• The Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Ireland, South Korea, Russia, New Zealand and the US are also sending rescue teams

What is an earthquake?

An earthquake is what is known as a natural disaster.

It is a sudden shockwave that can be felt on the Earth's surface.

Although the ground we walk on seems solid, the Earth is actually made up of huge pieces of flat rock called tectonic plates. These move very slowly, and where they meet is called a fault.

When the plates rub together, the movement forces waves of energy to come to the Earth's surface. This causes tremors and shakes - and this is what causes earthquakes.