- A magnitude 7.7 earthquake shocked Myanmar on Friday, killing more than 2,700 people, complicating the humanitarian crisis caused by the civil war.
- The death toll is expected to rise, but the earthquake hit the country’s wide range, leaving many places without electricity, telephone or cell connections and destructive roads and bridges, making it difficult to assess the full extent of the disaster.
- The World Health Organization said more than 10,000 buildings are known to collapse or severely damaged in Myanmar. The earthquake also hit nearby Thailand, causing a high-rise building to collapse and bury many workers.
Rescuers rescued a 63-year-old woman from the ruins of a building in the Myanmar capital on Tuesday, but hopes are gradually discovering more survivors Violent earthquake The bombing killed more than 2,700 people, complicating the humanitarian crisis caused by the civil war.
The Naypyitaw fire department said the woman was buried for 91 hours after she collapsed in a magnitude 7.7 earthquake that occurred at noon Friday. Experts say the possibility of survivors finding a sharp drop after 72 hours has dropped significantly.
Death count forecasts increase
Myanmar Western News Online Portal reported that 2,719 people have been found dead, including 4,521 injured and 441 lost, according to Myanmar Western News Online Portal.
These figures are widely expected to rise, but earthquakes hit the country’s wide range, leaving many areas without electricity, telephone or cell connections, as well as destructive roads and bridges, making it difficult to assess the full extent of the disaster.
So far, most of the reports have come from Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, close to the center of the earthquake and Naypyitaw.
“The demand is huge and it’s increasing every hour,” said Julia Rees, deputy representative of Myanmar at UNICEF.
Rescue workers in Myanmar work through the ruins of a collapsed building after an earthquake struck on Friday in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. (AP Photo)
“The window for life-saving responses is closing. Throughout the affected areas, families are facing acute shortages of clean water, food and medical supplies.”
The Myanmar Fire Department said 403 people have been rescued in Mandalay and so far 259 bodies have been found. In just one incident, when the building collapsed, 50 monks who took religious exams in the monastery were killed, and another 150 were believed to be buried in the ruins.
Structural damage is widespread
The World Health Organization said that, as we all know, in central and northwestern Myanmar, more than 10,000 buildings have collapsed or severely damaged.
earthquake Also swayed nearby Thailandcausing a high-rise building to collapse and buried many workers.
Two bodies were pulled out of the rubble on Monday, and another body was recovered Tuesday, but dozens were still missing. Overall, 21 people were killed and 34 injured in Bangkok, mainly at construction sites.
In Myanmar, search and rescue work in the entire affected area was temporarily stopped at noon Tuesday, with people standing for a minute to pay tribute to the dead.
Relief work moves at a slow pace
Foreign aid workers have been slowly helping rescue efforts, but in many places the lack of heavy machinery, progress is still slow.
On Tuesday, at a site in Naypyitaw, workers formed a human chain to manually disengage large pieces of brick and concrete from the ruins of a collapsed building.
The official Global New Myanmar New Light reported on Tuesday that a group of Chinese rescuers rescued four people from the previous day, the remains of a large apartment building that collapsed in the earthquake. They include a 5-year-old and a pregnant woman who has been trapped for more than 60 hours.
The same publication also reported that two teenagers were able to climb out of the ruins of the same building where rescuers were working and used cell phone flashlights to help them guide. Rescuers were then able to find their grandmother and siblings using the details they told them.
International rescue teams from several countries are on the scene, including from Russia, China, India, the United Arab Emirates and several Southeast Asian countries. The U.S. Embassy said a U.S. team has been sent but has not arrived yet.
Assistance commitments pour in as officials warn of risk of disease outbreak
At the same time, several countries have committed to aiding millions of dollars to assist Myanmar and Humanitarian Aid Organization With huge missions.
Even before the earthquake, Myanmar’s brutal civil war had been displaced from home, with nearly 20 million people displaced, according to the United Nations.
Many have already lacked basic medical care and standard vaccination, earthquake damage to water and sanitation infrastructure increases the risk of disease outbreaks and warns the UN’s Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
“Thousands of displaced people are trapped in crowded shelters, coupled with the destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure, greatly raising the risk of infectious disease outbreaks,” Ocha said in its latest report.
It added: “The vulnerability of respiratory infections, skin diseases, vector-borne diseases such as dengue, and preventable vaccines like measles are on the rise.”
The attack of the monsoon season is also a concern
Shelter is also a major issue, especially with the imminent monsoon season.
Many people have been sleeping outside since the earthquake, either because the house was destroyed or out of fear of aftershocks.
Civil war complicates disaster relief
Myanmar’s army seized power from democratically elected Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, which triggered a huge armed resistance and a brutal civil war.
Government forces have lost control of much of Myanmar, and many places cannot reach aid groups even before the earthquake.
Military attacks and military attacks by some anti-military groups did not cease after the earthquake, although the shadow opposition National Unification Government called for a unilateral ceasefire for its troops.
Myanmar government denies claiming it killed 76 villagers
The nug was established by voters elected to oust in 2021 and called on the international community to ensure that humanitarian aid is delivered directly to earthquake victims and urged to be “warm about any attempt by the junta to divert or block humanitarian aid”.
“We are competing with time to save lives,” Nug said in a statement.
“Any obstacle to these efforts will have devastating consequences, not only due to The impact of earthquakes This is also due to the continued cruelty of the military government, which actively hinders life-saving assistance. ”
It is unclear whether the military has been hindering humanitarian aid. In the past, it initially refused to allow foreign rescue teams or many emergency supplies after the 2008 Cyclone Nargis, which resulted in more than 100,000 deaths. Even if foreign aid is indeed allowed, it is subject to strict restrictions.
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In this case, however, Min Aung Haing made it clear on the day of the earthquake that the country would receive external help.
Tom Andrews, the Myanmar rights guardian commissioned by the unsupported Human Rights Commission, said on X that military attacks must be stopped in order to promote aid.
“Myanmar’s focus must be on saving lives, not taking lives,” he said.
