A 63-year-old woman was pulled alive from the rubble of a building in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, on Tuesday, four days after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck the country, as the chances of finding other survivors dwindled.
The earthquake has killed at least 2,719 people and 441 remain missing, the head of the country's military government, Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing, said on Tuesday. It destroyed more than 10,000 buildings in Myanmar and was felt strongly in Thailand, where a high-rise building under construction collapsed and 21 people died.
The fire brigade in Myanmar's capital said the woman was successfully pulled from the rubble 91 hours after being buried, in a joint rescue with teams from India, China and Russia. Experts say the likelihood of finding survivors drops dramatically after 72 hours.
The military government's official Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper also reported on Tuesday that a team of Chinese rescuers had saved four people the previous day from the ruins of the Sky Villa, a large apartment complex that collapsed during the quake. They included a five-year-old and a pregnant woman who had been trapped for more than 60 hours.
The same publication also reported that two teenagers crawled out of the rubble of the same building using their phone flashlights to help guide them. The rescue workers were able to use what the pair told them to locate their grandmother and a sibling.
Rescue teams from countries including Russia, China, India, the UAE and several South-east Asian countries are on the scene. The US embassy said an American team had been sent but had yet to arrive.
Julia Rees, of the UN children's fund, who has just returned from one of the worst-affected areas near the epicentre in central Myanmar, said entire communities had been flattened, and the destruction and psychological trauma were immense.
"And yet, this crisis is still unfolding. The tremors are continuing. Search and rescue operations are ongoing. Bodies are still being pulled from the rubble," she said in a statement. "Let me be clear: the needs are massive, and they are rising by the hour. The window for a life-saving response is closing."
The civil war in Myanmar, where the military seized power in a coup in 2021, has complicated rescue efforts. Amnesty International said the government is still conducting air strikes in areas affected by the earthquake.
“Myanmar’s military, along with all other actors involved in earthquake relief efforts, must ensure that human rights principles are fully respected and that the humanitarian needs of survivors are the top priority,” Amnesty International’s Myanmar researcher Joe Freeman said.
“You cannot ask for aid with one hand and bomb with the other. Carrying out air strikes and attacking civilians in the same region where the earthquake struck is inhumane and shows a blatant disregard for human rights.”
- Agencies contributed to this report
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Aid donated by India to its earthquake-hit neighbour Myanmar upon its arrival at the Thilawa Port along the Yangon river. AFP -
Trucks carrying relief supplies for the earthquake victims drive on the road in Yangon-Mandalay highway road, Bago region, Myanmar. EPA -
Rescue workers stand on the street next to a collapsed building in Mandalay. AFP -
Catholic nuns joins others as they hold candles while offering prayers for the country and also victims of the recent earthquake in Myanmar after a religious procession in observance of lent, in Quezon city, Philippines. AP -
People queue for water from a donation water truck following a strong earthquake in Pyawbwe township, Mandalay, Myanmar. Reuters -
Activists hold up pictures of Myanmar's junta leader Min Aung Hlaing during a protest against his visit to Thailand and attending the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday. Reuters -
People queue for food and relief supplies in Amarapura, Myanmar. Reuters -
Bhutanese medical volunteers look at the chest scan of a patient at a make-shift tent in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. AP -
Work on a collapsed building in Bangkok after a strong earthquake with its epicentre in Myanmar hit the region on March 28. Reuters -
The collapsed Ava Bridge over the Irrawaddy River in Sagaing, Myanmar. AFP -
Rescue teams from Indonesia prepare to leave for Myanmar. AFP -
A dog unit works at the site of an under-construction high-rise building that collapsed in Bangkok. AP -
Chinese rescuers search for earthquake victims at the collapsed Sky Villa in Mandalay, Myanmar. EPA -
A worker transports the body of a victim to be buried at the Aye Yate Nyein Cemetery in Mandalay. AFP -
A combination picture of satellite images of the tower in Bangkok, Thailand taken on December 25, 2024 and after it collapsed during an earthquake on March 28. Reuters -
People queue for relief supplies near the earthquake's epicentre, in Sagaing, Myanmar. Reuters -
A collapsed bridge near the epicentre in Sagaing. Reuters -
Rescuers work to find residents trapped under the rubble of the collapsed Sky Villa Condominium development in Mandalay, Myanmar. AFP -
Rescue workers assess a building that collapsed in Bangkok. EPA -
Rescuers search for survivors in the rubble of the Sky Villa Condominium building in Mandalay. AFP -
A health worker helps a fainted rescuer at the Sky Villa. EPA -
A Cambodian woman wipes her tear while waiting for news of her missing brother and sister-in-law at the site of an under-construction building collapse in Bangkok. AFP -
Muslims offer morning prayers to start the Eid Al Fitr festival, marking the end of Ramadan, on a road near demolished mosques in Mandalay. AFP
