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Gulf Today
04-04-2025
- General
- Gulf Today
VIDEO: Man pulled alive from Myanmar quake rubble after five days
Rescuers freed a man from the ruins of a hotel in Myanmar, officials said on Thursday, a glimmer of hope 5 days after a massive earthquake that killed around 3,000 as searchers in Myanmar and Thailand raced against time to find more survivors. Onlookers applaud as rescuers pull the man from the rubble the hotel alive. The 26-year-old was freed by a joint team of Myanmar and Turkish rescuers from the ruins of the Hotel Aye Chan Thar in the capital Naypyidaw around 12:30 am Wednesday (1800 GMT on Tuesday), the fire service says. On Monday, a woman was pulled from the rubble of the Great Wall Hotel in the city of Mandalay, according to a Chinese government post on Facebook. Mandalay is near the epicentre of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake on Friday that wreaked mass devastation in Myanmar and damage in neighbouring Thailand. In Bangkok, Thailand's capital, emergency crews resumed a desperate search for 76 people believed buried under the rubble of an under-construction skyscraper that collapsed. After nearly 5 days, fears were growing that the rescuers would find more dead bodies, which could sharply raise Thailand's death toll that stood at 18 on Sunday. In Myanmar, state media said at least 2,700 people have been confirmed dead. The United Nations said it was rushing relief supplies to estimated 23,000 quake-hit survivors in central Myanmar. "Our teams in Mandalay are joining efforts to scale up the humanitarian response despite going through the trauma themselves," said Noriko Takagi, the UN refugee agency's representative in Myanmar. "Time is of the essence as Myanmar needs global solidarity and support through this immense devastation."
Gulf Today
01-04-2025
- General
- Gulf Today
Woman pulled alive from quake rubble after 60 hours in Myanmar
Rescuers freed a woman from the ruins of a hotel in Myanmar, officials said on Monday, a glimmer of hope three days after a massive earthquake that killed around 2,000 as searchers in Myanmar and Thailand raced against time to find more survivors. The woman was pulled from the rubble after 60 hours trapped under the collapsed Great Wall Hotel in the city of Mandalay after a 5-hour operation by Chinese, Russian and local teams, according to a Chinese embassy Facebook post. It said she was in stable condition early on Monday. Mandalay is near the epicentre of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake on Friday that wreaked mass devastation in Myanmar and damage in neighbouring Thailand. In Bangkok, Thailand's capital, emergency crews using cranes and dog sniffers on Monday continued a desperate search for 76 people believed buried under the rubble of an under-construction skyscraper that collapsed. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said rescuers are not giving up despite the conventional-wisdom window for finding people alive fast approaching. "The search will continue even after 72 hours because in Turkey, people who have been trapped for a week have survived. The search has not been cancelled," Chadchart said. He said machine scans of the rubble indicated there may still be people alive underneath, and dog sniffers are being dispatched to try to pinpoint their locations. "We've detected weak life signs and there are many spots," he said. Thailand's official death toll was at 18 on Sunday, but could shoot up without more rescues at the collapsed building site. In Myanmar, state media said at least 1,700 people have been confirmed dead. The Wall Street Journal, citing the ruling military junta, reported the death toll had reached 2,028 in Myanmar. Reuters could not immediately confirm the new death toll. The United Nations said it was rushing relief supplies to estimated 23,000 quake-hit survivors in central Myanmar. "Our teams in Mandalay are joining efforts to scale up the humanitarian response despite going through the trauma themselves," said Noriko Takagi, the U.N. refugee agency's representative in Myanmar. "Time is of the essence as Myanmar needs global solidarity and support through this immense devastation." India, China and Thailand are among Myanmar's neighbours that have sent relief materials and teams, along with aid and personnel from Malaysia, Singapore and Russia. The United States pledged $2 million in aid "through Myanmar-based humanitarian assistance organizations". It said in a statement that an emergency response team from USAID, which is undergoing massive cuts under the Trump administration, is deploying to Myanmar. The quake devastation has piled more misery on Myanmar, already in chaos from a civil war that grew out of a nationwide uprising after a 2021 military coup ousted the elected government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. One rebel group said Myanmar's ruling military was still conducting airstrikes on villages in the aftermath of the quake, and Singapore's foreign minister called for an immediate ceasefire to help relief efforts. Critical infrastructure - including bridges, highways, airports and railways - across the country of 55 million lie damaged, slowing humanitarian efforts while the conflict that has battered the economy, displaced over 3.5 million people and debilitated the health system rages on. Reuters
Dubai Eye
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
Woman pulled alive from Myanmar quake rubble; race to find more survivors
Rescuers freed a woman from the ruins of a hotel in Myanmar, officials said on Monday, a glimmer of hope three days after a massive earthquake that killed around 1,700 as searchers in Myanmar and Thailand raced against time to find more survivors. The woman was pulled from the rubble after 60 hours trapped under the collapsed Great Wall Hotel in the city of Mandalay after a 5-hour operation by Chinese, Russian and local teams, according to a Chinese embassy Facebook post. It said she was in stable condition early on Monday. Mandalay is near the epicentre of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake on Friday that wreaked mass devastation in Myanmar and damage in neighbouring Thailand. In Bangkok, Thailand's capital, emergency crews on Monday resumed a desperate search for 76 people believed buried under the rubble of an under-construction skyscraper that collapsed. After nearly three days, fears were growing that the rescuers would find more dead bodies, which could sharply raise Thailand's death toll that stood at 18 on Sunday. In Myanmar, state media said at least 1,700 people have been confirmed dead. The Wall Street Journal reported the death toll had reached 2,028 in Myanmar. Reuters could not immediately confirm the new death toll. The United Nations said it was rushing relief supplies to estimated 23,000 quake-hit survivors in central Myanmar. "Our teams in Mandalay are joining efforts to scale up the humanitarian response despite going through the trauma themselves," said Noriko Takagi, the UN refugee agency's representative in Myanmar. "Time is of the essence as Myanmar needs global solidarity and support through this immense devastation." India, China and Thailand are among Myanmar's neighbours that have sent relief materials and teams, along with aid and personnel from Malaysia, Singapore and Russia. The US pledged $2 million in aid "through Myanmar-based humanitarian assistance organizations". It said in a statement that an emergency response team from USAID, which is undergoing massive cuts under the Trump administration, is deploying to Myanmar. The quake devastation has piled more misery on Myanmar, already in chaos from a civil war that grew out of a nationwide uprising after a 2021 military coup ousted the elected government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. One rebel group said the military was still conducting airstrikes on villages in the aftermath of the quake, and Singapore's foreign minister called for an immediate ceasefire to help relief efforts. Critical infrastructure - including bridges, highways, airports and railways - across the country of 55 million lie damaged, slowing humanitarian efforts while the conflict that has battered the economy, displaced over 3.5 million people and debilitated the health system rages on.
The Guardian
31-03-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Myanmar earthquake: woman trapped for days pulled alive from the rubble
A woman trapped beneath the remains of a hotel building for nearly 60 hours after a devastating earthquake struck Myanmar was pulled alive from the rubble on Monday, officials said, in a rare moment of hope for rescue teams scrambling to find survivors. Rescuers, many of them unequipped volunteers, have spent days trying to free people from buildings collapsed following Friday's huge earthquake, which killed more than 1,700 people in the country and at least 18 in neighbouring Thailand. It's feared the true scale of the damage is yet to emerge. The International Committee of the Red Cross has called it the most devastating earthquake Asia has experienced in over a century. In the early hours of Monday there was a brief moment of relief, when rescue workers carried a woman from the rubble of the Great Wall Hotel in Mandalay after a five-hour operation, according to the Chinese embassy in Myanmar. China is among several countries that have sent aid and personnel to assist in rescue efforts. A video showed onlookers clapping as the woman was carried away on a stretcher. She was reported to be in a stable condition, the embassy said. Across central Myanmar rescue teams have scrambled to free people from beneath countless collapsed buildings. Homes, religious sites, schools, universities, hotels and hospitals have all been damaged or destroyed. On Sunday, workers rushing to find survivors at an apartment complex in Mandalay, freed a pregnant woman who had been trapped for two days, amputating her leg in order to free her. However she was pronounced dead shortly afterwards. Many more are feared trapped beneath the 12 storey building complex. Rescue efforts also continued in the Thai capital Bangkok, where 76 workers are believed to be trapped under a 30-storey tower that collapsed while under construction. Across central Myanmar, emergency teams have been hampered by a lack of equipment, with some rescuers using their bare hands to search for the missing. Power and communication outages, damaged roads and bridges have also complicated their work. The US Geological Service's predictive modelling estimated Myanmar's death toll could top 10,000 and losses could exceed the country's annual economic output. Foreign assistance began to arrive over the weekend, following a rare request by Myanmar's isolated junta for international help. China and Russia, two allies of the junta, have sent aid and personnel, while India, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore have also sent assistance. The US has also pledged $2m in aid 'through Myanmar-based humanitarian assistance organisations'. It said in a statement that an emergency response team from USAid is going to Myanmar. The earthquake struck just as many humanitarian agencies were cutting back projects in Myanmar following Trump's cuts to USAid. The country was already in crisis before the disaster, due to a spiralling conflict triggered when the military seized power in a coup in 2021. The junta is facing an armed resistance to its rule, formed of civilians who took up arms to fight for the return of democracy, and ethnic armed organisations that have long fought for independence. It has lost swathes of territory, and responded with relentless airstrikes, which continued even after the devastating quake, including in Sagaing, close to the epicentre. Rights groups have said aid must go through community based groups or the National Unity Government, which was founded by elected law makers and activists to oppose the coup. 'The junta is notorious for weaponizing aid, and even launched airstrikes shortly after the quake. Sending aid to the junta will only make things worse,' said Debbie Stothard, the founder of Altsean-Burma, a network of human rights organisations in south-east Asia.
The Independent
31-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Survivors continue to be pulled from Myanmar earthquake rubble 60 hours after disaster
Five more people have been rescued from the rubble in Myanmar nearly 60 hours after a powerful earthquake devastated parts of the country, as fears grow that the true death toll could climb above 10,000. The survivors were pulled from a collapsed school in the northern Sagaing region, according to Myanmar's fire department, which also recovered one body from the site. In Mandalay, emergency teams rescued a woman from the debris of the Great Wall Hotel, the Chinese embassy said, adding that her condition was stable. The official death toll in Myanmar rose to 1,700 on Sunday, according to the military junta, although some reports estimated around 2,000 confirmed dead. Hundreds remain missing, and many communities are yet to be reached due to blocked roads, damaged bridges and the country's ongoing civil conflict. On Saturday night, an elderly woman was rescued in Myanmar's capital, Naypyidaw, after being trapped for 36 hours under the rubble of a hospital. The US Geological Survey (USGS) has estimated that the final death toll could exceed 10,000, based on predictive modelling that accounts for the country's infrastructure, building types and access to rescue services. In Bangkok, the death toll from the collapse of an under-construction skyscraper rose to 18 on Sunday. At least 76 workers are still believed to be buried under the debris. Thai authorities said signs of life were detected at the site over the weekend, but the chances of survival were narrowing with each passing hour. Friday's 7.7-magnitude quake, which struck near Mandalay just 10km below the surface, was the most powerful to hit Myanmar in more than a century. More than 23,000 people have been affected across central Myanmar, according to the United Nations, which has rushed relief supplies to the region. Humanitarian groups have warned that many quake-hit areas remain inaccessible, particularly those in conflict zones where military airstrikes continue despite international appeals for a ceasefire. The UN's refugee agency said its teams in Mandalay were working 'despite going through the trauma themselves'. Meanwhile, aid has begun to arrive from China, India, Russia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and other countries. The US has pledged $2m in support and deployed an emergency response team from USAID. Health facilities have been severely damaged and are facing shortages of trauma kits, blood bags and essential medicines, according to the UN's humanitarian agency. Many rescues in the early hours relied on local residents digging through rubble by hand before international teams arrived. Myanmar has been engulfed in a civil war since the military seized power in 2021, displacing over 3.5 million people and deepening an ongoing humanitarian crisis. The National Unity Government, representing the ousted civilian administration, has announced a two-week pause in offensive military operations in areas affected by the earthquake. But a rebel group said the military was still conducting airstrikes on villages in the aftermath of the quake, actions that were condemned by the UN's special rapporteur for Myanmar, Tom Andrews, as 'outrageous and unacceptable'. Singapore's foreign minister called for an immediate ceasefire to help relief efforts. Critical infrastructure like bridges, highways, airports and railways lie damaged across the country of 55 million, slowing humanitarian efforts. Satellite imagery showed the air traffic control tower at the capital's Naypyidaw International Airport had completely collapsed. With the monsoon season approaching in April, aid groups have warned that many displaced communities face heightened risks of flooding and disease in the weeks to come.
