Myanmar’s neighbors sent warships and planes loaded with aid materials and rescue personnel on Sunday, since international aid won steam after a massive earthquake devastated much of the poor nation of Southeast Asia.
At least 1,600 people have been killed and 3,400 wounded by the earthquake of magnitude 7.7 on Friday, one of Myanmar’s strongest in a century, his military government said.
“All military and civil hospitals, as well as health workers, must work together in a coordinated and efficient way to guarantee an effective medical response,” said the Board Chief, General Senior Min Aung Hlaing, according to state media.
The predictive modeling of the United States Geological Service estimated that Myanmar’s deaths could exceed 10,000 and losses could exceed the country’s annual economic production.
The earthquake shook parts of neighboring Thailand, knocking down a skyscraper under construction and killing 17 people throughout the capital, according to Thai authorities. At least 78 people remained trapped under the rubble of the collapsed building.
The most fatal disaster to hit Myanmar in years damaged the critical infrastructure, which includes an airport, roads and bridges, decelerating humanitarian operations, according to the United Nations.
‘Without help, without rescue workers’
The earthquake hit a nation that is already in chaos with a civil war that has intensified since the 2021 military coup, which overthrew the elected government of the laureate Nobel Aung San Suu Kyi and caused an armed uprising nationwide.
The fight has mistreated the economy in a large agrarian part of Myanmar, previously called Burma, displaced more than 3.5 million people and left essential services, such as medical care, in Jirones.
The Government of the National Opposition Unit, which includes remains of the previous administration, said that anti-junction militias under their command would pause all offensive military actions for two weeks from Sunday.
“The NUG, together with resistance forces, allied organizations and civil society groups, will carry out rescue operations,” he said in a statement.
In some of the hardest areas of the country, residents said Reuters That government assistance was scarce so far, leaving people to fend for themselves.
The entire city of Sagaing near the Epicenter of the earthquake was devastated, said the resident Han Zin.
“What we are seeing here is a widespread destruction: many buildings have collapsed on the ground,” he said on the phone, adding that much of the city had been without electricity since the disaster hit and the drinking water was running out.
“We have not received help, and there are no rescue workers in sight.”
On the other side of the Irrawaddy River in Mandalay, a rescue worker said that most of the operations in the second largest city in the country were being carried out by small self -organized resident groups that lack the required team.
“We have approached the collapsed buildings, but some structures are still unstable while we work,” he said, asking not to be appointed for security concerns.
Campo Hospital
It was feared that dozens of people trapped under collapsed buildings in Mandalay, but most could not be achieved or retired without heavy machinery, said another humanitarian worker and two residents.
“People are still trapped in buildings, they can’t get people,” said a resident who asked not to be named.
The hospitals in parts of the center and northwest of Myanmar, including Mandalay and Sagaing, were struggling to deal with the influx of injured people, according to the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs.
India, China and Thailand are among the neighbors who have sent help and equipment materials, along with help and personnel from Malaysia, Singapore and Russia.
Indian military aircraft made multiple departures in Myanmar on Saturday, including transport supplies and Naypyitaw search and rescue equipment, whose parts made on purpose, whose parts have been destroyed by the earthquake.
The Indian army will help establish a field hospital in Mandalay, and two ships from the Navy that transport supplies are directed to the commercial capital of Yangon de Myanmar, said Myanmar Foreign Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
Multiple Chinese rescue personnel have arrived, including one that crosses in Overland since its southwest province of Yunnan, said China’s embassy in Myanmar on social networks.
A team of 78 Singapore members, accompanied by rescue dogs, was operating in Mandalay on Sunday, said Myanmar State-Media.
Myanmar faces humanitarian crisis after the earthquake: Iffrc
Myanmar faces a humanitarian crisis and the country’s help needs are increasing per hour, Red Cross officials said Sunday.
“This is not just a disaster; it is a complex humanitarian crisis in layers on existing vulnerabilities,” said Alexander Matheu, regional director of Asia Pacific in the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFFIF) and the Crescent Red Crescent network companies, in a statement.
“The magnitude of this disaster is substantial, and the need for support is urgent,” he added.
Foreign rescue teams arrived today to Myanmar to help the country impoverished to deal with the disaster, and the Red Cross of Myanmar said that volunteers administered first aid and distribute items such as blankets, canvases and hygiene kits.
“Destruction has been extensive, and humanitarian needs are growing per hour,” he said in today’s statement.
The Ifffir has launched an emergency appeal per 100 million CHF ($ 113.60 million) to help 100,000 people with life savings and early recovery support.
On Saturday, the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs said that help operations were being hindered by damaged roads and that hospitals in the center and northwest of Myanmar were struggling to deal with the influx of people injured in the earthquake.
