The earthquake has leveled much of Mandalei, the country’s second largest city – fears of thousands of dead
The extent of the disaster is revealed by satellite photos in the town of Mandalei, Myanmar, after the devastating 7.7 Richter earthquake.
The earthquake has leveled much of Mandalei, the country’s second largest city.
See satellite photos:
The death toll has increased to more than 1,600, with residents of certain areas declaring that they were forced to dig into bare hands in the debris to find survivors.
Lack of equipment, communications problems and damaged roads and bridges further difficult to seek survivors.
Earlier, rescuers lifted a woman alive from the wreckage of a 12 -storey apartment building about 30 hours after her collapse, but the Red Cross estimates that more than 90 people may still be trapped there.
In a neighboring area, rescuers identified the corpses of 12 preschool children and a teacher under the building where a kindergarten was housed.
Cracks on the main highway connecting the largest city of Yangon, the capital Nipido and Mandalei have caused serious transport holidays, the UN Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.
There are also shortages in medical supplies, such as wound treatment kit, blood bags, anesthetics, basic drugs and scenes for health workers, according to the same source.
Although rescue teams are operating yesterday and international aid has begun to enter the country, support has not yet reached the most affected areas, with ordinary citizens trying to unravel survivors with bare hands.
Workers in humanitarian organizations should cross damaged roads and ravaged areas, in a country divided by the civil war and the presence of competing factions, weapons traders, human traffickers and drug networks. At the same time, there is a risk that the army will intervene in distributing assistance, as experts said, and even the transfer of money to Myanmar is complicated due to sanctions and money transfer regulations.
The junta announced that 1,644 people were killed and 3,408 were injured, while 139 people are missing, according to Myanmar State media, although it is estimated that these numbers will increase. The earthquake also caused at least 10 deaths in Thailand, while 78 people are missing after a building collapsed in Bangkok, the country’s capital.
The focus of the magnitude of 7.7 Richter was about 20 kilometers outside Mandalei, the second largest city of Myanmar with a population of 1.5 million, and 10 kilometers deep. More than 24 aftershocks followed, including a strong earthquake of 6.4 Richter, just 12 minutes after the initial vibration.
“The number of victims is expected to increase further,” said Junta chief, General Aug Hlating, late Friday night. “In some areas, buildings have collapsed and we are still conducting rescue operations.”
He appealed for “as much support as possible in continued rescue efforts”.
Source :Skai
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