A 63-year-old woman was rescued from a collapsed building in Burma’s capital on Tuesday, but hopes are dwindling for finding more survivors of the earthquake that has claimed over 2,700 lives, exacerbating an existing humanitarian crisis caused by civil conflict.
The Naypyitaw fire department reported the successful extraction of the woman 91 hours after she was trapped in the rubble following the 7.7 magnitude earthquake on Friday. Experts note that the probability of finding survivors significantly decreases after 72 hours.
Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, leader of Burma’s military government, announced at a forum in Naypyitaw that the death toll has reached 2,719, with 4,521 injured and 441 missing, according to Myanmar’s Western News online portal.
These numbers are expected to rise, as the earthquake affected a large area, disrupting power, phone, and cell service, and damaging infrastructure, making it difficult to fully assess the devastation.
Most reports have come from Mandalay, Burma’s second-largest city, and Naypyitaw, both located near the earthquake’s epicenter.
“The needs are immense and increasing rapidly,” stated Julia Rees, UNICEF’s deputy representative for Burma.
“The window for immediate lifesaving actions is closing. Families in affected areas are facing severe shortages of potable water, food, and essential medical supplies.”
Burma’s fire department has reported 403 rescues and 259 bodies recovered in Mandalay. In one incident, 50 monks died when their monastery collapsed during an exam, and an estimated 150 remain buried in the debris.
The World Health Organization reports that over 10,000 buildings have either collapsed or sustained significant damage across central and northwest Burma.
The earthquake also caused the collapse of an under-construction high-rise in Bangkok, trapping numerous workers.
Two bodies were recovered on Monday, and another on Tuesday, but many remain missing. The Bangkok incident resulted in 21 deaths and 34 injuries, primarily at the construction site.
Search and rescue operations in Burma paused briefly at midday Tuesday for a moment of silence to honor the deceased.
While foreign aid workers have begun arriving, progress remains slow due to a shortage of heavy equipment in many areas.
In Naypyitaw, rescue workers formed a human chain to manually remove debris from a collapsed building.
The military government’s Global New Light of Burma reported that a Chinese rescue team saved four people, including a 5-year-old and a pregnant woman trapped for over 60 hours, from the Sky Villa apartment complex ruins.
The same publication reported that two teenagers escaped the rubble of the same building and guided rescuers to their grandmother and sibling using cellphone flashlights.
International rescue teams from countries including Russia, China, India, the United Arab Emirates, and several Southeast Asian nations are present. The U.S. Embassy stated that an American team has been dispatched but has not yet arrived.
Numerous countries have pledged millions in aid to support Burma in the extensive recovery effort.
Prior to the earthquake, over 3 million people were already displaced by Burma’s civil war, with nearly 20 million in need of assistance, according to the U.N.
Many lacked access to basic healthcare and vaccinations, and the destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure by the earthquake increases the risk of disease outbreaks, according to the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
“The displacement of thousands into overcrowded shelters, combined with the damage to water and sanitation systems, has significantly increased the risk of communicable disease outbreaks,” OCHA reported.
“Vulnerability to respiratory infections, skin diseases, vector-borne illnesses like dengue fever, and vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles is rising,” it added.
Shelter is a significant issue, particularly with the approaching monsoon season.
Many people have been sleeping outdoors since the earthquake due to damaged homes or fear of aftershocks.
Burma’s military seized power in 2021 from Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government, triggering armed resistance and a civil war.
Government forces have lost control of much of Burma, and many areas were already dangerous or inaccessible to aid groups before the earthquake.
Military attacks and those from some anti-military groups have continued despite the earthquake, although the shadow opposition National Unity Government has declared a unilateral ceasefire.
The NUG, formed by lawmakers ousted in 2021, urged the international community to ensure aid reaches earthquake victims directly, warning against military interference.
“We are in a race against time to save lives,” the NUG stated.
“Any obstruction to these efforts will have devastating consequences, not only due to the earthquake but also because of the junta’s continued brutality, which actively hinders the delivery of lifesaving assistance.”
It is unclear if the military is obstructing aid. In the past, after Cyclone Nargis in 2008, it initially restricted foreign rescue teams and emergency supplies, resulting in over 100,000 deaths. Even when assistance was allowed, it was with severe restrictions.
However, Min Aung Hlaing stated on the day of the earthquake that the country would accept outside help.
Tom Andrews, a U.N.-backed Human Rights Council monitor on rights in Burma, stated on X that military attacks must cease to facilitate aid.
“The focus in Burma must be on saving lives, not taking them,” he said.
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