Aid Floods into Myanmar After Devastating Earthquake Claims 1,600

• Teams from India, China, Singapore, and Thailand are on the ground.
• The opposition pledges to pause military offensives for two weeks.
• Local residents report a lack of government aid and inadequate equipment for rescue operations.

In response to the devastation from a massive earthquake that struck Myanmar, neighboring countries have deployed warships and aircraft filled with relief supplies and rescue teams. The international aid response has been ramping up following the disaster that severely impacted this impoverished Southeast Asian nation.

According to the military government, the 7.7-magnitude earthquake, one of the strongest in the last century, resulted in at least 1,600 fatalities and left 3,400 individuals injured.

“All military and civilian hospitals must coordinate efficiently to ensure a prompt medical response,” stated Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, chief of the junta, as reported by Myanmar media.

The United States Geological Survey projected that the death toll in Myanmar could exceed 10,000, with damages potentially surpassing the nation’s annual GDP.

The tremors were felt in parts of Thailand as well, leading to the collapse of a skyscraper under construction and claiming 17 lives in the capital. Reports indicated that at least 78 individuals remained trapped beneath the rubble.

Classified as the deadliest natural calamity in Myanmar in years, the earthquake inflicted significant damage to vital infrastructure, including an airport, highways, and bridges, thereby hampering humanitarian efforts according to the United Nations.

‘No aid, no rescue workers’

The earthquake struck amid an ongoing civil war, which has intensified since the military coup in 2021 that removed the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and ignited a nationwide armed insurrection.

Ongoing hostilities have devastated Myanmar’s agriculture-based economy, displaced over 3.5 million citizens, and severely damaged essential services such as healthcare.

The National Unity Government (NUG), which consists of remnants from the previous administration, has declared that anti-junta militias will suspend all military offensives for two weeks starting Sunday.

In a statement, the NUG announced, “We, along with resistance forces, allied organizations, and civil society groups, will undertake rescue operations.”

In some of the most severely impacted areas, locals shared with Reuters that government assistance was nearly nonexistent, forcing many to manage on their own.

Han Zin, a resident from Sagaing, near the earthquake’s epicenter, described the scene: “What we’re witnessing is widespread devastation—numerous buildings have crumbled to the ground. Since the disaster, much of our town has been without electricity, and drinking water is dwindling.” He lamented, “We have not seen any relief, and there are no rescue teams in sight.”

In Mandalay, nearby the Irrawaddy River, a rescue worker reported that most operations in Myanmar’s second-largest city were being undertaken by small, self-organized local groups that lacked the necessary tools.

“We have reached collapsed structures, but some remain unstable as we work,” he said, requesting anonymity due to security matters.

Field hospital

Rescue teams feared that many individuals might still be trapped under the rubble throughout Mandalay, but most could not be rescued due to a lack of heavy machinery, as noted by another humanitarian worker and two residents.

A resident, wishing to remain unnamed, stated, “People are still stuck inside the buildings; we can’t get them out.” Hospitals in various regions, including Mandalay and Sagaing, were overwhelmed with casualties, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Countries such as India, China, and Thailand have dispatched relief supplies and teams, along with aid from Malaysia, Singapore, and Russia.

On Saturday, Indian military aircraft conducted multiple flights into Myanmar, delivering supplies and search-and-rescue personnel to Naypyitaw, the designated capital, which suffered extensive damage due to the earthquake.

The Indian army plans to establish a field hospital in Mandalay, and two navy ships carrying aid have set sail for Yangon, the commercial hub of Myanmar, as stated by Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Teams of Chinese rescue workers, including a contingent traveling from Yunnan province, have arrived, as announced by China’s embassy in Myanmar on social media.

A 78-member team from Singapore, accompanied by search and rescue dogs, has started operations in Mandalay, according to local media.