This is the heartwarming moment a pet cat was rescued from a collapsed apartment block following the earthquake in Myanmar.

Footage shows rescue volunteers cradling the feline after it was seen crying on top of the rubble of the 12-storey Sky Villa in Mandalay on April 1.

The building was considered a symbol of the region's rapid urbanisation and growth, and had been touted to have an 'earthquake-resistant foundation'.

Beauty queen Silimee, 28, was killed when the structure collapsed on March 28. Her body was recovered from the carnage by rescuers on April 2. She had represented the country at the Miss Tourism World 2018 pageant.

Volunteer rescue worker Okka said: 'It's a miracle the cat survived without. It stayed under the rubble without food or water for five nights.'

The cat has now been adopted by one of the volunteers helping with the search.

The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 7.7 tremor struck at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), and was centred in Myanmar, around 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of Monywa, along the Sagaing fault.

Residents ran from their homes when they felt the tremors shortly after 1:20 pm local time on March 28. More than 3,145 people in the country have been killed and some 4,589 injured, with the figures expected to rise.

The quake destroyed buildings, bridges, and dams, leaving many areas in ruins. Communication remains difficult as mobile networks are down, and access to electricity and the internet is limited.

Rescue teams from Communist China - a close ally of the Burmese junta - have been working alongside locals in Myanmar, or Burma, to provide relief from the disaster.

American teams have been delayed by issues with sanctions on the war-torn country and problems obtaining visas.

US officials are said to have claimed that the American absence shows how President Donald Trump's moves to slash the size of the US government have reduced its ability to act during disasters.

In neighbouring Thailand, high-rise buildings shook and an apartment block under construction collapsed in Bangkok. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said at least 22 people were killed.