MANDALAY, Myanmar—A Japanese national may have been among hundreds of people who were inside an apartment building when it collapsed in the devastating earthquake on March 28.
The Japanese Embassy in Myanmar said on March 30 that it had lost contact with the Japanese individual in Mandalay, and the Foreign Ministry has requested a search and rescue operation through the embassy.
Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, is located in the center of the country and was near the epicenter of the magnitude-7.7 earthquake.
In central Mandalay, an 11-story apartment building named Sky Villa collapsed on itself, flattening the lower four floors.
On March 30, the remaining upper floors looked like they could topple at any moment.
According to local officials, the missing Japanese national may have been inside this building.
Originally, Sky Villa consisted of a row of four 11-story buildings, but the other three buildings were reduced entirely to rubble by the quake.
Amid the piles of debris, the remains of the residents’ lives, including laundry left hanging out to dry, mattresses, chairs and tables, could be seen.
People gathered around the rubble to watch the ongoing rescue operation and pray for survivors.
One rescue worker shouted over a loudspeaker, “We are doing our best, so please move away.”
However, the crowd would only move a few meters and refused to leave the scene.
AFP, citing Red Cross officials, reported on March 29 that 90 people were inside the still partially standing building.
However, Wai Lu Kyaw, a member of a volunteer group that has joined the rescue effort, said, “There is a possibility that 700 people are buried alive here.”
‘NOTHING I COULD DO’
Kyaw Shwe, 68, a jewelry dealer, was anxiously watching the rescue operation.
“My wife is still inside,” he said.
His wife, San Yi, 64, was home alone when the disaster struck.
Kyaw Shwe, who was at work in a distant place, received a call from his daughter about San Yi. He rushed to the site on the night of March 29.
The family’s home was located Sky Villa’s Building B, which was reduced to rubble.
“There was nothing I could do, and it is frustrating,” Kyaw Shwe said. “But I have to believe she must be alive.”
PRECARIOUS SITUATION
In the two days since the earthquake, only about 15 people had been rescued at the site.
According to residents, many foreigners, including Chinese nationals, lived in the Sky Villa complex.
A Chinese rescue team arrived on the morning of March 30 and started working together with Myanmar officials.
However, due to the severity of the damage and the dangerous conditions, the rescue operation appeared to be extremely difficult.
Aftershocks continue to hit Mandalay intermittently.
At around 1:40 p.m. on March 30, an aftershock rocked the site. The barely standing building made squeaking sounds, and people began to flee from the area amid a cloud of dust.
HEARTBREAK
The rescue efforts continued after sunset on March 30 to retrieve a pregnant woman who was found trapped in a small space in the rubble.
Workers confirmed she was alive, but her right leg was caught in debris and would require amputation to pull her out.
The woman’s older sister, 37, looked on with tears in her eyes.
She said her younger sister, 35, was not a resident of the condominium but worked there as a housekeeper.
“I want to see my sister again. I’m sure she is alive,” she said.
Just before 6 p.m. on March 30, an ambulance was stationed near the scene and a medical team was ready to receive the woman.
An hour passed.
Then a doctor, who presumably performed the amputation, emerged from a doorway about 10 meters above ground.
A rescue worker shouted, “Bring some water.”
Shortly after 8 p.m., another worker said, “We’re almost there.”
The woman was carried out on a stretcher and wrapped in a blanket. Team members opened a passageway and brought her to a bed where a medical team was waiting.
However, just as the people were about to rejoice, medical workers were seen performing a heart massage on the woman.
A few minutes later, the doctor said to a man who appeared to her family member, “We did our best, but … .”
“She was alive inside,” a rescue worker said, looking down in disappointment.
SURVIVAL RATE DROPPING
According to a rescue worker, there are still some people inside who have a chance to survive, and the rescue operation will continue.
But the workers are racing against time.
The survival rate is said to drop sharply 72 hours after a disaster. That time was around 12:50 p.m. on March 31 (3:20 p.m. Japan time).
According to the Myanmar National Army, the death toll from the quake has risen to 1,700 across the country, with 3,400 injured.
In Bangkok, capital of neighboring Thailand, local authorities said 17 people were killed and about 80 were missing in the quake.