The death toll from a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar jumped to more than 1,000 on Saturday as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of the scores of buildings that collapsed when it struck near the country's second-largest city.

The country's military-led government said in a statement that 1,002 people have now been confirmed dead, with another 2,376 injured and 30 still missing. The statement warned the numbers could continue to rise, adding: "Detailed figures are still being collected."

Myanmar is in the midst of a prolonged and bloody civil war, already responsible for a massive humanitarian crisis. It has made movement around the country both difficult and dangerous, complicating relief efforts and raising fears the death toll could climb dramatically.

The earthquake struck on Friday afternoon, with an epicentre not far from Mandalay, followed by several aftershocks — including one measuring a strong 6.4 magnitude. The tremors sent buildings toppling, buckled roads, caused bridges to collapse and burst a dam.

In neighbouring Thailand, the quake was felt across the greater Bangkok area — home to around 17 million people — and other parts of the country.

Bangkok city authorities said six people have been confirmed dead so far, 26 injured, and 47 still missing, mostly from a collapsed construction site near the capital's popular Chatuchak market.

When the quake hit, a 33-storey high-rise under construction by a Chinese firm for the Thai government wobbled before crashing to the ground in a massive plume of dust, sending people screaming and fleeing.

Authorities in Myanmar have held a minute of silence to honour the victims of a catastrophic earthquake that killed more than 2,700 people, including 50 children at one preschool near the city of Mandalay.

The moment of remembrance on Tuesday came as aid groups said communities in the hardest-hit areas were struggling to find food, water and shelter.

The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, which hit around lunchtime on Friday, was the strongest to hit the Southeast Asian country in more than a century, toppling ancient pagodas and modern buildings alike.

Myanmar's military leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, in a televised address on Tuesday, said the death toll had reached 2,719 and could even exceed 3,000.

He said 4,521 people were injured, and 441 were missing.

At least 20 people were also killed in neighbouring Thailand.

The death toll from the earthquake that hit Myanmar nearly a week ago rose Thursday to 3,145 as search and rescue teams found more bodies, the military-led government said, and humanitarian aid groups scrambled to provide survivors medical care and shelter.

Information Minister Maung Maung Ohn also announced at a meeting in the capital, Naypyitaw, that 4,589 people were injured and 221 others were missing, state television MRTV reported.

The epicenter of the 7.7 magnitude quake on March 28 was near Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city. It brought down thousands of buildings, buckled roads and destroyed bridges in multiple regions.

Local media reports of casualties have been much higher than the official figures. With telecommunications widely out and many places difficult to reach, the numbers could rise sharply as more details come in.

A report issued Thursday by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that the earthquake and aftershocks have affected more than 17 million people across 57 of the country's 330 townships, including more than 9 million who were severely affected.