Rescue Efforts in Mandalay Following Devastating Earthquake
Myo Zaw, alongside his dedicated team of volunteer rescue workers, was among the first responders to reach the site of a tragic three-story house collapse in Mandalay shortly after 8 p.m. on Saturday. With urgency in their hearts, they began digging through the debris with nothing but their bare hands. As they worked tirelessly, a faint voice broke through the chaos—a girl calling for help. “I’m here, please help me,” she pleaded.
After several hours of relentless effort, the rescuers managed to pull out the 12-year-old girl, who had miraculously survived the collapse, sheltered amidst the rubble. However, as the early morning hours of Sunday approached, silence fell around the site, and the team continued their grim task under the oppressive heat of nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Sadly, they unearthed three lifeless bodies: the girl’s mother and her grandparents.
“I fear we will uncover more bodies than survivors,” Mr. Myo Zaw expressed with a heavy heart. “The intense heat in Mandalay accelerates decomposition, making it challenging for us to locate the deceased. In some instances, we only discover the bodies due to the unbearable smell.”
Time is of the essence in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, home to approximately 1.5 million residents, and situated near the epicenter of the catastrophic earthquake that struck on Friday. As of Saturday night, the national toll had tragically risen to over 1,600 confirmed deaths, with more than 3,000 individuals injured, marking this as the most devastating earthquake to hit Myanmar in over a century. The urgent concern among the rescue teams is that the window for saving lives is rapidly closing. Experts warn that after the critical 72-hour mark, which will be reached by Monday evening, the chances of finding survivors decrease significantly.
