Girl rescued after 60 hours: Myanmar quake claims 1,700 lives
According to media reports, after a rescue operation lasting over five hours conducted by Chinese, Russian, and local rescue teams, a girl was rescued from the rubble of the collapsed Great Wall Hotel in the city of Mandalay, 60 hours after the disaster. Her condition was reported to be stable.
What do you need to know?
- An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 had its epicentre in Myanmar (Burma), but the tremors were also felt in Thailand, India, and China.
- The death toll has exceeded 1,700 people.
- A state of emergency has been declared in the six most affected regions of the country: Sikong, Mandalay, Magwe, the northeastern state of Shan, Naypyidaw, and Bago.
The death toll from the earthquake that struck Myanmar (Burma) on Friday has exceeded 1,700, as reported on Monday by General Zaw Min Tun, the spokesman for the ruling junta.
On Monday, state media in China reported that rescue teams successfully pulled a girl alive from the rubble of a hotel, after being trapped for 60 hours.
As previously reported by the media, a total of four people were rescued in the city, including three adult women (one pregnant) and a girl.
Disaster in Myanmar. Tremors were felt in other countries
Shocks with a magnitude of 7.7, which hit Myanmar on March 28 around 1:50 AM Eastern Time (12:50 PM local time), were also felt in neighbouring Thailand, where hundreds of buildings were damaged, including skyscrapers in Bangkok, approximately 1,000 kilometres from the epicentre.
In Thailand, at least 18 people died, 33 were injured, and 78 are reported missing.
Due to the tremors, many houses and other buildings, as well as bridges and places of religious worship, collapsed, causing chaos in a country that has been mired in a bloody civil war resulting from the 2021 coup. The humanitarian crisis and destruction caused by military activities complicate relief efforts for earthquake victims.
