BANGKOK: Thai and Burmese rescue teams were racing against time on Sunday in a desperate search for survivors, two days after a massive earthquake struck Myanmar and killed more than 1,700 people.
The 7.7-magnitude quake hit midday Friday with an epicenter near Myanmar’s second-largest city, Mandalay, destroying scores of buildings and cultural sites and damaging other vital infrastructure, including the local airport.
The extensive damage in a country ravaged by civil war was hampering relief efforts, as the death toll in Myanmar rose to around 1,700 people on Sunday, according to a statement issued by the ruling junta, with about 3,400 others injured and 300 more missing.
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Mandalay, Sagaing, Naypyidaw and Bago are the hardest-hit areas, but impacts of the earthquakes were also felt in Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon.
“What we’re seeing right now is unexpected, and I cannot imagine what that means for people who are living in those areas,” Marie Manrique, acting head of delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross in Myanmar, said in a video statement.
Mandalay, Sagaing, Naypyidaw and Bago are the hardest-hit areas, she said, but impacts of the earthquakes were also felt in Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon.
“Many people in the city of Yangon … have not had electricity or running water since the day of the earthquake. So that just gives us a good impression on what the situation is on ground zero in Mandalay and Sagaing,” she said.
Local news outlet Myanmar Now said that crematoriums in Mandalay were “struggling to cope” due to a surge in fatalities.
“Major cemeteries … are overwhelmed, with bodies piling up as families seek to cremate their deceased,” a report from the publication reads.
Foreign aid and international rescue teams have started arriving in Myanmar after the military issued a rare plea for help as the nation grappled with the deadliest natural disaster to hit the country in years.
In neighboring Thailand, authorities said the tremors had killed at least 18 people, with videos posted on social media showing water surging from pools atop high-rise hotels and apartments, while one clip showed a dramatic collapse of a 30-story structure that was under construction.
At least 10 people died on that site alone, which is near the city’s Chatuchak Park.
Bangkok authorities were concentrating their rescue operation on that location, as 78 people remain unaccounted for.
“I would like to confirm that we are doing our best because I believe that there is still a chance to find survivors inside,” Bangkok Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt said at a press conference.
There is a critical 72-hour window to reach those trapped, with some thought to be meters underground.
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said in a statement that the operation is being expedited “by utilizing international tools and experts to scan for vital signs.”
The statement read: “The height of the debris is approximately 20 meters, and the tools are capable of accurately scanning positions and relaying information to experts stationed on a crane basket … The search and rescue operation is now focused on the top, with officers racing against time.”
Friday’s earthquake was a shock for Bangkok residents like Paiboon Auengkongkatong, 34, who had never experienced such tremors.
“I never experienced this before … I’ve always stayed in Bangkok my whole life. This is the first time,” he told Arab News.
Auengkongkatong was at a restaurant on the seventh floor of the Central Rama 9 mall when the quake hit. With a group of friends, he then began running toward the fire escape.
“When we were going down, the building was shaking and the walls were cracking,” he said. “Some stones were falling down; that was really, really scary because I didn’t know if it was going to collapse.”
