Myanmar earthquake death toll rises to 1700; stench of rotting corpses permeates Mandalay | 10 points
ByHT News Desk
Mar 30, 2025 03:50 PM IST
The 7.7 magnitude quake hit Myanmar on Friday with an epicenter near Mandalay, bringing down scores of buildings and damaging other infrastructure.
The Myanmar earthquake destroyed buildings, bridges and critical communication infrastructure in Mandalay last week, hampering the ability of rescue workers to reach those trapped under the rubble and provide relief to those who survived the calamity. Due to a lack of resources and broken communication channels, rescue workers are forced clear the rubble by hand in the hope of finding someone still alive. The official death toll is now 1700.
Damaged building is seen after earthquake in Naypyitaw, Myanmar.(AP)
Damaged building is seen after earthquake in Naypyitaw, Myanmar.(AP)
The 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar on Friday with an epicenter near Mandalay, bringing down scores of buildings and damaging other infrastructure like the city’s airport. The death toll is expected to rise because many of those trapped under debris haven't received help yet. AP has reported that the stench of rotting corpses has permeated the air of the junta-led country's second-largest city.
Also read: Myanmar earthquake: ‘Force of 334 atom bombs’, continuing aftershocks leave cities in ruins, over 1,600 dead
Here are 10 points on the Myanmar earthquake
The rescue work has been primarily conducted by the local residents without the aid of heavy equipment. They have been moving rubble by hand and with shovels in 41-degree Celsius (106 Fahrenheit) heat.
Those who survived the earthquake are spending their nights in the streets. The homes of many had been destroyed; the rest are too scared to go to their houses in anticipation of aftershocks.
Cara Bragg, the Yangon-based manager of Catholic Relief Services, said hospitals are facing a shortage of staff and medical supplies. "It's mainly been local volunteers, local people who are just trying to find their loved ones. I've also seen reports that now some countries are sending search and rescue teams up to Mandalay to support the efforts, but hospitals are struggling to cope with the influx of injured people, there's a shortage of medical supplies, and people are struggling to find food and clean water," she said.
With the Mandalay airport damaged and the control tower toppled in the capital Naypitaw's airport, all commercial flights into the cities have been shut down. Official relief efforts in Naypitaw were prioritizing government offices and staff housing, leaving locals and aid groups to dig through the rubble by hand in residential areas, the hot sun beating down and the smell of death in the air, reported AP.
Myanmar's junta said in a statement Sunday afternoon that about 1,700 people were confirmed dead so far, about 3,400 injured and around 300 more missing, reported Bloomberg.
Foreign aid has started to arrive. Two Indian C-17 military transport aircraft were able to land late Saturday at Naypitaw with a field hospital unit and some 120 personnel who were then to travel north to Mandalay to establish a 60-bed emergency treatment center. A convoy of 17 Chinese cargo trucks carrying critical shelter and medical supplies was expected to reach Mandalay.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Saturday that Myanmar was woefully short of medical supplies. It also flagged destroyed internet, other communication channels and roads, which are impeding rescue operations.
Bragg said rescue efforts so far are focused on Mandalay and Naypyitaw, which are thought to have been the hardest hit. However, not much is known about damages to life and properties in other areas. “We're hearing reports of hundreds of people trapped in different areas,” said Bragg. “Right now we're at 1,600 (known fatalities) and we don't have a lot of data coming out but you've got to assume it will be increasing in the thousands based on what the impacts are. This is just anecdotal information at this point.”
The civil war is also hampering rescue efforts as workers are not able to reach places where government forces have lost control. Many places are dangerous or impossible for aid groups to reach.
Tom Andrews, a monitor on rights in Myanmar commissioned by the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council, called for the military to immediately call a ceasefire. “Aid workers should not have to fear arrest, and there should be no obstructions to aid getting to where it is most needed,” he said on X.
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