Rescuers in Myanmar have freed over 400 survivors from the rubble in Mandalay after a powerful earthquake struck the country last Friday.
Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city with over 1.7 million residents, suffered extensive damage, with many residential buildings reduced to piles of debris.
Local and international rescue teams have been working tirelessly, even as the critical 72-hour window for finding survivors has passed. As of Monday, 403 people have been rescued, and 259 bodies have been recovered in Mandalay, according to local authorities.
The magnitude-7.9 earthquake has claimed 2,719 lives nationwide, with 4,521 people injured and 441 still missing, official figures released on Tuesday show. Neighboring Thailand reported at least 19 deaths resulting from the quake.
The death toll is expected to rise as rescuers reach towns and villages where communications have been severed by the disaster.
For many survivors, the danger remains. Hundreds of residents are spending their nights sleeping in the open, either because their homes were destroyed or out of fear that aftershocks could cause further destruction.
Fear of aftershocks has also forced Mandalay’s 1,000-bed general hospital to relocate patients to the car park, where they lie on gurneys under makeshift tarpaulin shelters to shield them from the intense tropical sun.
“Having lived through the terror of the earthquake, people now fear aftershocks and are sleeping outside on roads or in open fields,” an International Rescue Committee (IRC) worker in Mandalay told Reuters. “However, in towns and cities, safe spaces are scarce. There is an urgent need for tents, as even those whose homes remain intact are too afraid to sleep indoors.”
The IRC reported that people urgently need medical care, drinking water, and food.
In response to the tragedy, the Myanmar government has asked the population to pause at 12:51:02 on Tuesday, precisely four days after the earthquake struck. Media outlets have been requested to halt broadcasting and display mourning symbols, while prayers are being offered at temples and pagodas. The government declared a week-long mourning period on Monday.
Rescuers continue to work against the clock in hopes of finding more survivors, while the nation grapples with the aftermath of one of the most devastating earthquakes in its recent history.
