Myanmar authorities observed a minute of silence Tuesday for victims of a devastating earthquake that claimed over 2,700 lives, including 50 children at a preschool near Mandalay.
The commemoration occurred as aid organizations reported desperate conditions in affected areas, with survivors struggling to secure basic necessities like food, water, and shelter.
Friday’s magnitude 7.7 earthquakeโMyanmar’s strongest in over a centuryโstruck at lunchtime, destroying both ancient pagodas and modern structures. Military leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing announced the death toll had reached 2,719, potentially exceeding 3,000, with 4,521 injured and 441 missing. The disaster also killed at least 20 people in neighboring Thailand.
In Mandalay, sirens sounded at precisely 12:51 pm, marking the moment the earthquake struck. Rescue workers at the heavily damaged Sky Villa apartment complex lined up with hands clasped behind their backs to pay respects while officials and family members observed from behind cordons.
Many residents continued sleeping outdoors for a fourth night, either homeless or afraid of aftershocks. “I don’t feel safe. There are six or seven-floor buildings beside my house leaning, and they can collapse anytime,” watchmaker Soe Tint told AFP. Numerous survivors, including families with young children, have been sleeping on blankets on roads to avoid damaged buildings.
In the capital Naypyidaw, rescuers reportedly saved a 63-year-old woman Tuesday, 91 hours after the earthquake, though authorities acknowledged finding more survivors was unlikely.
Myanmar’s ongoing civil war has complicated rescue efforts. Al Jazeera’s Jessica Washington reported from Bangkok that many affected families lack electricity and connectivity, with some hospital patients being treated outdoors in extreme heat. She noted multiple reports of military attacks on opposition armed groups despite the disaster, with some rescue crews “stopped by troops and militias aligned with the junta” from accessing critical areas.
Amnesty International urged the military to allow aid into areas not under its control. “Myanmar’s military has a longstanding practice of denying aid to areas where groups who resist it are active,” said researcher Joe Freeman, calling for “unimpeded access to all humanitarian organisations.”
The UN humanitarian agency reported that the 50 children killed at the preschool near Mandalay were accompanied by two teachers. State media also reported approximately 500 Muslims died when the earthquake struck during Friday prayers at mosques.
In Thailand, rescuers continued searching a collapsed Bangkok skyscraper, though hopes diminished four days after the quake. “There are about 70 bodies underneath… and we hope by some miracle one or two are still alive,” said volunteer rescue leader Bin Bunluerit. Bangkok’s Deputy Governor reported six human shapes detected by scanners showed no vital signs, with experts determining how to safely reach them.
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