Rescuers raced against fears that the death toll could rise sharply as the end of a 72-hour window in which most people trapped in rubble are reasonably expected to survive neared.

The magnitude 7.7 quake Friday rocked an impoverished Southeast Asian nation already beleaguered by years of civil war.

The toll from Myanmar's earthquake continued to rise on Sunday, as foreign rescue teams and aid rushed into the impoverished country, where hospitals were overwhelmed and some communities scrambled to mount rescue efforts with limited resources.

Aftershocks and airstrikes struck Myanmar . More than 1,600 people were confirmed dead across Myanmar over the weekend, and more than 3,000 were injured in the worst earthquake to

A strong 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit near Tonga, prompting a tsunami warning for the Pacific island country. The U.S. Geological Survey said the temblor hit about 100 kilometers (62 miles) northeast of the main island in the early morning hours of Monday local time.

Rescuers are desperately searching for survivors more than two days after a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, toppling buildings as far away as the Thai capital Bangkok and sending tremors through nearby Chinese provinces.

Efforts to find hundreds still missing continue, as rescue teams and aid struggle to reach the worst-hit areas.

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Sunday near Tonga, a nation of more than 170 islands in the South Pacific Ocean.

The Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar has been plagued by wars and natural disasters since it became independent from Britain in 1948, when it was still called Burma