In the aftermath of a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake, efforts to rescue survivors in Myanmar and Bangkok are underway, three days after the devastating disaster struck Southeast Asia, claiming the lives of approximately 2,000 people.
According to Myanmar’s ruling junta, the death toll has risen to 2,056, with over 270 individuals still unaccounted for following the quake that rocked the region on Friday.
Rescue teams have successfully extracted four survivors, including a pregnant woman and a young girl, from the debris of collapsed buildings in Mandalay, the city closest to the earthquake’s epicenter, as reported by China’s Xinhua news agency.
Images broadcast by China’s state broadcaster CCTV depicted Chinese rescue workers in red helmets carefully carrying one survivor, snugly wrapped in a metallic thermal blanket, through mounds of fractured concrete and twisted metal in Mandalay.
Drone footage from the area revealed a multi-storey building reduced to layers of concrete rubble, while some of the region’s gilded temples miraculously remained standing.
However, the ongoing civil conflict in Myanmar, where a military junta seized control in a 2021 coup, is complicating rescue efforts for those injured and displaced by this, the nation’s largest earthquake in a century. Arnaud de Baecque, the International Committee of the Red Cross’s resident representative in Myanmar, noted, “Access to all victims is an issue…given the conflict situation. There are a lot of security problems that hinder access to certain areas, particularly across the front lines.”
In Mandalay, many buildings have been reduced to rubble due to the tremors.
One rebel faction has reported that the ruling military continues to conduct airstrikes on villages, even in the quake’s aftermath. In response, Singapore’s foreign minister has called for an immediate ceasefire to facilitate relief efforts.
In Bangkok, rescuers have recovered another body from the debris of an under-construction skyscraper that collapsed during the quake, bringing the death count from this incident to 12, with a total of 19 confirmed dead across Thailand and 75 more still missing at the construction site. Scanning equipment and sniffer dogs have been deployed to aid in the search, and Bangkok’s Deputy Governor, Tavida Kamolvej, emphasized the urgency of their mission, stating, “Realistic chances of survival diminish after 72 hours. We have to speed up. We’re not going to stop even after 72 hours.”
Since the junta’s takeover, media access has become severely restricted. Junta chief General Min Aung Hlaing warned over the weekend that the death toll could rise further.
To honor the victims of the earthquake, Myanmar will observe a minute of silence tomorrow at 12:51 PM local time—marking the exact moment when the earthquake struck.
The international community is rallying to provide aid and support recovery efforts. Countries such as China, India, and Thailand have sent relief supplies, along with teams from Malaysia, Singapore, and Russia.
“It doesn’t matter how long we work. The most important thing is that we can bring hope to the local people,” shared Yue Xin, the head of the China Search and Rescue Team that has been pulling individuals from the rubble in Mandalay, as reported by Xinhua.
The United Nations is also hastening its response, dispatching relief supplies to affected survivors in central Myanmar. “Our teams in Mandalay are joining efforts to scale up the humanitarian response despite facing trauma themselves,” stated Noriko Takagi, the UN refugee agency’s representative in Myanmar.
The United States announced $2 million in aid “through Myanmar-based humanitarian assistance organizations,” deploying an emergency response team from USAID, which faces significant budget cuts under the current administration.
The earthquake’s devastation has further exacerbated the struggles of a country already grappling with civil unrest. Critical infrastructure—including bridges, highways, airports, and railways—has been severely compromised across the nation of 55 million, impeding humanitarian efforts. The ongoing conflict has displaced over 3.5 million people and devastated the healthcare system.
“We see devastated communities throughout the country, especially in Mandalay and Naypyidaw,” remarked de Baecque. “People are still sleeping outdoors and cannot return to their homes, leaving them without the means to prepare meals. All of the healthcare facilities that have been damaged are struggling to meet existing needs and are unable to address the additional demands stemming from this disaster.”
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International – Monitoring.
