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Associated Press
4 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Many survivors of Myanmar's devastating quake in March still live in leaky tents
BANGKOK (AP) — Two months after a deadly earthquake ravaged much of central and northeastern Myanmar, recovery is just inching along, with huge numbers of people living in temporary shelters while facing the heavy rainfall and strong winds of monsoon season. The 7.7 magnitude March 28 quake caused significant damage to six regions and states, including the capital Naypyitaw and Mandalay, the country's second-largest city. The confirmed death toll from the disaster has reached 3,740, with 5,104 injured, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Friday. Bodies are still being found As the task of rebuilding grinds along, the grim work of recovering the dead is continuing. The Myanmar Fire Services Department said on its Facebook page this week that its teams had recovered four bodies from the rubble of the collapsed buildings of the Sky Villa Condominium in Mandalay on Tuesday and Wednesday. More than 100 bodies have been recovered from the condominium site and search operations will continue as more bodies are believed to be buried under debris, an official of the Myanmar Rescue Federation (Mandalay), which works with the firefighters, told The Associated Press on Friday. He asked not to be named because he fears arrest for speaking without authorization. Myanmar has a major ongoing humanitarian crisis Humanitarian needs in Myanmar have reached record levels, with 19.9 million people identified as needing assistance, and an additional 2 million in urgent need following the quake, said a report issued on May 23 by OCHA, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Myanmar already plunged into turmoil in 2021, when the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, which triggered nationwide nonviolent pro-democracy protests that escalated into armed resistance and what now amounts to a civil war. 'Myanmar continues to face significant humanitarian challenges, driven by recurrent disasters, persistent conflict, and grave protection risks, with an estimated 3.5 million people displaced across the country,' OCHA said. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar's military government, said at a Thursday fund-raising ceremony for disaster relief that more than half a million people from 2,081 villages were affected by the quake, the Global New Light of Myanmar reported Hundreds of roads and bridges were damaged or destroyed and more than 700 hospitals and clinics also suffered varying levels of damage, according to his figures. Many survivors are still in inadequate temporary housing Shelter is a major problem, even as people leave temporary camps to return home. The official from Myanmar Rescue Federation (Mandalay) said about half of the disaster victims who were sheltering in camps have returned to temporary accommodations built on land where their homes once stood. Aung Kyaw, who supervises recovery activities in Hmike Su ward in Mandalay's Amarapura township, told The Associated Press on Friday that more than 150 people from his ward were still living in roadside shelters in tarpaulin tents He said they were suffering due to strong winds and constant rain for days, and urgently need metal roofing. 'I need iron sheets for a roof to build a shelter on my land. I would be satisfied just to be able to safely sleep at my house,' said Aung Kyaw, whose home was destroyed. 'I don't want to badger for anything else. Now we are just sitting in the rain.' He said the people living in temporary shelters will also likely face floods due to heavy monsoon rains in the coming months. In Naypyitaw, the capital, government personnel have moved to modular low-cost prefabricated buildings built around the compound of the central railway station while debris is still being cleared from their damaged state housing. In other damaged residential areas, people have completed clearing the debris on their own, but most of them are still living in tents.
The Independent
4 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Many survivors of Myanmar's devastating quake in March still live in leaky tents
Two months after a deadly earthquake ravaged much of central and northeastern Myanmar, recovery is just inching along, with huge numbers of people living in temporary shelters while facing the heavy rainfall and strong winds of monsoon season. The 7.7 magnitude March 28 quake caused significant damage to six regions and states, including the capital Naypyitaw and Mandalay, the country's second-largest city. The confirmed death toll from the disaster has reached 3,740, with 5,104 injured, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Friday. Bodies are still being found As the task of rebuilding grinds along, the grim work of recovering the dead is continuing. The Myanmar Fire Services Department said on its Facebook page this week that its teams had recovered four bodies from the rubble of the collapsed buildings of the Sky Villa Condominium in Mandalay on Tuesday and Wednesday. More than 100 bodies have been recovered from the condominium site and search operations will continue as more bodies are believed to be buried under debris, an official of the Myanmar Rescue Federation (Mandalay), which works with the firefighters, told The Associated Press on Friday. He asked not to be named because he fears arrest for speaking without authorization. Myanmar has a major ongoing humanitarian crisis Humanitarian needs in Myanmar have reached record levels, with 19.9 million people identified as needing assistance, and an additional 2 million in urgent need following the quake, said a report issued on May 23 by OCHA, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Myanmar already plunged into turmoil in 2021, when the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, which triggered nationwide nonviolent pro-democracy protests that escalated into armed resistance and what now amounts to a civil war. 'Myanmar continues to face significant humanitarian challenges, driven by recurrent disasters, persistent conflict, and grave protection risks, with an estimated 3.5 million people displaced across the country,' OCHA said. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar's military government, said at a Thursday fund-raising ceremony for disaster relief that more than half a million people from 2,081 villages were affected by the quake, the Global New Light of Myanmar reported Hundreds of roads and bridges were damaged or destroyed and more than 700 hospitals and clinics also suffered varying levels of damage, according to his figures. Many survivors are still in inadequate temporary housing Shelter is a major problem, even as people leave temporary camps to return home. The official from Myanmar Rescue Federation (Mandalay) said about half of the disaster victims who were sheltering in camps have returned to temporary accommodations built on land where their homes once stood. Aung Kyaw, who supervises recovery activities in Hmike Su ward in Mandalay's Amarapura township, told The Associated Press on Friday that more than 150 people from his ward were still living in roadside shelters in tarpaulin tents He said they were suffering due to strong winds and constant rain for days, and urgently need metal roofing. 'I need iron sheets for a roof to build a shelter on my land. I would be satisfied just to be able to safely sleep at my house,' said Aung Kyaw, whose home was destroyed. 'I don't want to badger for anything else. Now we are just sitting in the rain." He said the people living in temporary shelters will also likely face floods due to heavy monsoon rains in the coming months. In Naypyitaw, the capital, government personnel have moved to modular low-cost prefabricated buildings built around the compound of the central railway station while debris is still being cleared from their damaged state housing. In other damaged residential areas, people have completed clearing the debris on their own, but most of them are still living in tents.
Times of Oman
5 days ago
- Climate
- Times of Oman
Earthquake of 4.2 magnitude strikes Myanmar
Naypyitaw: An earthquake of magnitude 4.2 jolted Myanmar on Friday, a statement by the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said. As per the NCS, the earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10km, making it susceptible to aftershocks. In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 4.2, On: 30/05/2025 13:13:28 IST, Lat: 20.78 N, Long: 97.00 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Myanmar." Earlier on Thursday, an earthquake of 4.5 magnitude struck the region, as per the NCS. In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 4.5, On: 29/05/2025 05:32:05 IST, Lat: 23.14 N, Long: 94.46 E, Depth: 85 Km, Location: Myanmar." Shallow earthquakes are generally more dangerous than deep earthquakes. This is because the seismic waves from shallow earthquakes have a shorter distance to travel to the surface, resulting in stronger ground shaking and potentially more damage to structures and greater casualties. In the aftermath of the magnitude 7.7 and 6.4 earthquakes that struck central Myanmar on March 28, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a series of rapidly rising health threats for tens of thousands of displaced people in earthquake-affected areas: tuberculosis (TB), HIV, vector- and water-borne diseases. More than 3.5 million people in Myanmar were already displaced before the earthquakes. Tens of thousands are now homeless, according to the WHO South East Asia statement. Although Myanmar is an earthquake-prone country, there has not been proposed an official national seismic hazard map. Myanmar is vulnerable to hazards from moderate and large magnitude earthquakes, including tsunami hazards along its long coastline. The Sagaing Fault elevates the seismic hazard for Sagaing, Mandalay, Bago, and Yangon, which together represent 46 per cent of the population of Myanmar. Although Yangon is relatively far from the fault trace, it still suffers from significant risk due to its dense population. For instance, in 1903, an intense earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 that occurred in Bago also struck Yangon.
Times of Oman
24-05-2025
- Health
- Times of Oman
Earthquake of magnitude 4.0 jolts Myanmar
Naypyitaw: An earthquake of magnitude 4.0 struck Myanmar on Saturday, as reported by the National Centre of Seismology (NCS). As per the NCS, the earthquake occurred at 00:28 hours at latitude 23.24 N, and longitude 93.92 E. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres. "EQ of M: 4.0, On: 24/05/2025 00:28:58 IST, Lat: 23.24 N, Long: 93.92 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Myanmar." Previously on May 19, an earthquake of magnitude 3.9 on the Richter scale hit Myanmar, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) stated. As per NCS, the earthquake occurred at a depth of 40 km and a latitude of 21.67 N and a longitude of 93.91 E. "EQ of M: 3.9, On: 18/05/2025 23:07:58 IST, Lat: 21.67 N, Long: 93.91 E, Depth: 40 Km, Location: Myanmar," the NCS said in a post on X. Earlier in March, the country was hit with earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 6.4 that had caused widespread damage and the death of more than 3500. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Southeast Asia, the region is expected to face a series of rapidly rising health threats, including tuberculosis (TB), HIV, and vector- and water-borne diseases, for tens of thousands of displaced people in earthquake-affected areas. Operation Brahma has been India's dedicated humanitarian outreach to Myanmar in the wake of the disaster. As part of this initiative, India has also extended aid to the Indian diaspora in the Yangon region. Myanmar is vulnerable to hazards from moderate- and large-magnitude earthquakes, including tsunami hazards along its long coastline. The Sagaing Fault elevates the seismic hazard for Sagaing, Mandalay, Bago, and Yangon, which together represent 46 per cent of the population of Myanmar. Although Yangon is relatively far from the fault trace, it still suffers from significant risk due to its dense population.
Malay Mail
07-05-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
‘Failure of the military junta': Myanmar's crippled healthcare fails quake victims
NAYPYITAW, May 8 — Burmese academic Sophia Htwe spent hours desperately trying to call home from Australia after the 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck her hometown in Myanmar in late March, learning that a childhood friend had been trapped in the rubble. Friends from the central-northwestern region of Sagaing told her that she had been freed but died from her injuries after receiving no medical treatment. 'That just really broke me... This is actually the failure of the military junta and the military coup,' she said, referring to the junta's attacks on healthcare since seizing power in February 2021. The earthquake, which killed more than 3,700 people and injured 5,000, quickly overwhelmed a severely depleted health system in which the number of doctors and nurses had fallen dramatically under military rule, according to World Health Organisation figures. Many blame the situation on attacks on healthcare facilities as the military administration sought to root out opponents to its rule, after medics took a prominent role in the anti-junta movement that emerged after the coup. That meant many victims of the earthquake went without immediate medical attention or had to wait a long time to receive the care they needed, according to two doctors who worked in the quake zone, two opposition activists and two human rights groups monitoring the response to the disaster. Rights groups Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights said doctors had described medicine and staff shortages and patients whose wounds had rotted in the absence of medical care. In a joint statement on April 29 they said the military's 'years of unlawful attacks on healthcare facilities and workers' had severely hindered the emergency response. The situation was compounded, they said, because some medical workers were too afraid of arrest to operate in junta-controlled areas or scared of passing through checkpoints to reach areas where they were needed. Some areas affected by the earthquake are contested by both rebel and junta forces and their affiliated militias, creating an environment of tension and suspicion. Despite declaring a ceasefire on April 2, the junta has continued daily aerial attacks that have killed civilians, according to a Reuters analysis of data. More than 172 attacks have occurred since the ceasefire, 73 of them in areas devastated by the earthquake. A spokesman for the junta did not respond to several requests for comment. Workforce shortages Before the coup, which toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and ignited a civil war, the number of healthcare workers was growing. It surged 13.3 per cent between 2016 and 2020 to about six doctors and nine nurses per 10,000 people, the WHO said. That figure fell to 1.01 doctors and 1.96 nurses in 2022 — far short of the recommended WHO minimum standard of 22.8 healthcare workers per 10,000 — as medical workers joined the anti-junta Civil Disobedience Movement, refusing to work for government-run clinics. According to Insecurity Insight, a Swiss non-governmental organisation, that tracks attacks on healthcare across the world. Soldiers have killed at least 74 health workers, attacked at least 263 health facilities, and arrested and prosecuted more than 800 since the coup. While some who left have since returned to work, the shortage of health workers remains 'very serious', said Dr Thushara Fernando, the WHO's Myanmar representative. In January this year, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing acknowledged in state media that some hospitals did not have a single doctor. Non-government medical facilities were 'severely restricted', the WHO said, by a lack of skilled health workers and difficulties imposed by the junta in importing medical supplies - restrictions that have created a shortage of life-saving medicines. Before the quake, the military shut at least eight private hospitals in Mandalay, one of the cities devastated by the disaster, according to the National Unity Government, a parallel civilian administration, while the quake destroyed at least five health facilities and partially damaged 61, according to the WHO. Healthcare workers aligned with the opposition are providing lifesaving care through underground networks, but 'they are operating with extremely limited resources, and their safety remains a serious concern,' said an NUG official who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. The junta has detained doctors aligned with the opposition, which it characterises as 'terrorists'. The two doctors who travelled to the earthquake zone and asked not to be named for fear of retribution also described manpower problems. One said medics treating quake victims lacked triage expertise because the senior doctors who once led training had been imprisoned or feared arrest if they travelled to the disaster zone. The other said people with chronic illnesses had been unable to access vital medications, and quake survivors were suffering from diarrhoea, skin-related diseases and heat-stroke as temperatures climb to about 40 degrees Celsius. 'During the earthquake, people didn't receive the immediate aid they desperately needed,' he said, adding that authorities frequently questioned people helping survivors. Underground response The military, which controls most but not all of the areas worst hit by the quake, has not eased its communications bans or stringent customs rules since the disaster happened, said James Rodehaver, Myanmar head for the United Nations Office on Human Rights. He said a requirement by the junta that all organisations working on earthquake relief register with authorities had driven some Burmese humanitarian responders underground, while there was no evidence the military — fighting across multiple frontlines — was deploying troops to help deliver aid. In 2022, state media reported the junta diverted funds from the natural disaster management budget to provide loans in a bid to boost the sluggish economy, a move Win Myat Aye, the top official for disaster management under the former civilian government, says left a shortage of emergency supplies, logistical support, and recovery programmes. In Sagaing, Nyi Nyi Tin, whose home was damaged by the quake, said there was no official support beyond an offer of about US$61 (RM258) to the families of the dead and some compensation for the injured. As the monsoon rains loom, tens of thousands are still living in makeshift tents and the WHO says it fears the spread of communicable diseases. In comparison with massive community responses to past disasters, including the Covid-19 pandemic, there were only small teams of people helping and little cooperation between civil society and authorities, Nyi Nyi Tin said. 'That sense of unity is gone. I think it's because people are afraid,' he said. — Reuters
