Rescue teams have started pulling survivors from the wreckage in Myanmar, while signs of life have been detected in the remains of a skyscraper in Bangkok. This comes as efforts escalate to locate individuals trapped three days after a powerful earthquake struck Southeast Asia, resulting in approximately 2,000 fatalities.
The ruling junta of Myanmar has reported the death toll has reached 2,056, with over 270 individuals still unaccounted for following the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that occurred last Friday.
Rescue operations in Mandalay, the central city close to the earthquake’s epicenter, led to the extraction of four individuals, including a pregnant woman and a young girl, as reported by China’s Xinhua news agency.
Images broadcasted by China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed Chinese rescue workers in red helmets transporting one survivor, who was wrapped in a metallic thermal blanket, amid piles of collapsed concrete and twisted metal at a Mandalay apartment building.
The ongoing civil war in Myanmar, instigated by a military coup in 2021, has hampered rescue efforts for those injured and displaced by the country’s most significant quake in a century.
“Access to all victims remains a challenge … due to the conflict situation. Numerous security issues hinder access to certain areas, especially across front lines,” stated Arnaud de Baecque, the Resident Representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Myanmar.
Tremors caused extensive destruction across Mandalay.
Reports from a rebel group indicated that Myanmar’s military continues to conduct airstrikes on villages following the earthquake, prompting Singapore’s foreign minister to call for an immediate ceasefire to facilitate relief efforts.
In Bangkok, rescue teams retrieved another body from the debris of a collapsed skyscraper that was under construction, raising the death toll from the incident to 12, with a total of 19 lives lost across Thailand and 75 individuals still missing at the site.
Rescue efforts included the deployment of scanning machines and sniffer dogs, with Bangkok’s Deputy Governor Tavida Kamolvej emphasizing the urgency of accessing a location where signs of life had emerged three days post-quake. “The realistic chances for survival decrease after 72 hours. We must expedite our efforts. We will not cease operations even after this period,” she remarked.
Media access in Myanmar has been restricted since the junta took control.
Junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing cautioned over the weekend that the death toll could continue to escalate.
Myanmar plans to observe a minute of silence tomorrow to honor the victims of the devastating earthquake, as announced by the ruling junta.
The entire country will halt at 12:51 PM local time tomorrow (6:21 AM Irish time)—the exact moment the 7.7-magnitude quake struck on Friday, according to the junta’s statement.
Heavy machinery is currently at work to clear debris from the collapsed buildings in Bangkok.
International assistance is being mobilized to support recovery efforts.
Countries like China, India, and Thailand have dispatched relief supplies and teams, alongside aid and contributions from Malaysia, Singapore, and Russia.
“Duration of our work is irrelevant. The critical aspect is that we bring hope to the local populace,” stated Yue Xin, head of the China Search and Rescue Team that has been participating in the operations in Mandalay, as reported by Xinhua.
The United Nations announced it is accelerating the delivery of relief supplies to survivors in central Myanmar.
“Our teams in Mandalay are part of the humanitarian response, even as they endure trauma themselves,” commented Noriko Takagi, the UN refugee agency’s representative in Myanmar.
The United States has pledged $2 million in assistance “through Myanmar-based humanitarian organizations.” The statement noted that an emergency response team from USAID, currently facing significant cuts under the Trump administration, is being deployed to Myanmar.
Thailand’s K-9 unit is actively searching for survivors in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok.
The devastation from the quake has compounded the struggles facing Myanmar, a nation already embroiled in chaos due to an escalating civil war following the ousting of the elected government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Critical infrastructure—bridges, highways, airports, and railways—throughout the nation of 55 million has suffered damage, thereby impeding humanitarian efforts amidst ongoing conflict that has disrupted the economy, displaced over 3.5 million people, and crippled the healthcare system.
“We witness severely affected communities nationwide, particularly in Mandalay and the capital Naypyidaw… Many individuals are still sleeping outdoors, unable to access their homes, which limits their ability to prepare meals,” expressed de Baecque from the ICRC.
“All health facilities that have been damaged are no longer able to provide the level of healthcare they once delivered and struggle to accommodate additional needs.”
