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Boston Globe
31-03-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Earthquake compounds Myanmar's humanitarian crisis as the death toll passes 2,000
Relief efforts are further hampered by power outages, fuel shortages, and spotty communications. A lack of heavy machinery has Rescue workers at Mandalay's collapsed U Hla Thein monastery said they were still searching for about 150 of the dead monks. Advertisement Some 700 Muslim worshipers attending Friday prayers were killed when mosques collapsed, said Tun Kyi, a member of the steering committee of the Spring Revolution Myanmar Muslim Network. He said some 60 mosques were damaged or destroyed. Videos posted on The Irrawaddy online news site showed several mosques toppling. It was not clear whether those numbers were already included in the official toll. Myanmar state MRTV reported that the leader of the military government, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, told Pakistan's prime minister during a call that 2,065 people were killed, with more than 3,900 injured and about 270 missing. Advertisement Relief agencies expect those numbers to rise sharply, since access is slow to remote areas where communications are down. The United Nations' Myanmar country team called for unimpeded access for aid teams. 'Even before this earthquake, nearly 20 million people in Myanmar were in need of humanitarian assistance,' said Marcoluigi Corsi, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator. 'We're really not clear on the scale of the destruction at this stage,' Lauren Ellery, deputy director of programs in Myanmar for the International Rescue Committee, told the Associated Press. 'They were talking about a town near Mandalay where 80 percent of the buildings were reportedly collapsed, but it wasn't in the news because telecommunications have been slow.' Groups the IRC works with have reported that some places are cut off by landslides, she said. The World Health Organization said it has reports of three hospitals destroyed and 22 partially damaged in the region. 'There is an urgent need for trauma and surgical care, blood transfusion supplies, anesthetics, essential medicines and mental health support,' it said. More than 10,000 buildings are collapsed or severely damaged in central and northwest Myanmar, the UN humanitarian agency said. One preschool classroom building collapsed in Mandalay district, killing 50 children and two teachers, it said. An artificial intelligence analysis of satellite images of Mandalay by Microsoft's AI for Good Lab showed 515 buildings with 80 to 100 percent damage and another 1,524 with 20 to 80 percent damage. It was not clear what percentage of the city's buildings that represented. Advertisement Rescue efforts are also complicated by the civil war. In 2021, the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into significant armed resistance. While one group has declared a partial unilateral ceasefire, the government and other armed groups have not stopped fighting. Government forces have lost control of much of Myanmar, and many places were dangerous or impossible for aid groups to reach even before the quake. More than 3 million people have been displaced by the fighting, according to the UN. Ellery with the International Rescue Committee noted that the area worst hit by the earthquake was seriously damaged by flooding last year, and many displaced people sought refuge there. Since the earthquake, many people have been sleeping outside, either because homes were destroyed or out of fear of aftershocks. Monsoon rains start in May and finding people shelter will be a major challenge, she said. On Monday, an Indian team jackhammered through slabs of fallen concrete at one site in Mandalay. They could be seen bringing out one body. The European Union, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and others have announced millions of dollars in aid. Despite massive cuts and firings at the A small number of US military personnel were sent to assist in Bangkok, where the earthquake killed at least 18 people, many at a construction site where a Advertisement On Monday, heavy equipment was temporarily shut down at the site and authorities urged onlookers to be silent as they used machines to try and detect signs of life. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters that signs had been detected Sunday night, though experts could not determine whether it had been machine error. Watching the crews at work, Naruemon Thonglek said she had 'made some peace' with the fact that her partner and five friends there were unlikely to be found alive. 'A part of me still hope they will survive,' she said.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Earthquake death tolls passes 2,000 in Myanmar
The death toll in last week's massive earthquake in Myanmar has passed 2,000, state media said. It comes as rescuers and an activist group said several hundred Muslims died while praying at mosques during Ramadan and 200 Buddhist monks were crushed by a collapsing monastery. The quake could exacerbate hunger and disease outbreaks in a country that was already one of the world's most challenging places for humanitarian organisations to operate because of civil war, aid groups and the United Nations warned. The 7.7 magnitude quake hit on Friday, with the epicentre near Myanmar's second-largest city, Mandalay. It damaged the city's airport, buckled roads and collapsed hundreds of buildings along a wide swathe down the country's centre. Relief efforts are further hampered by power outages, fuel shortages and spotty communications. A lack of heavy machinery has slowed search and rescue operations, forcing many to search for survivors by hand in daily temperatures above 40C. Rescue workers at Mandalay's collapsed U Hla Thein monastery said they were still searching for about 150 of the dead monks. Some 700 Muslim worshippers attending Friday prayers were killed when mosques collapsed, said Tun Kyi, a member of the steering committee of the Spring Revolution Myanmar Muslim Network. He said some 60 mosques were damaged or destroyed. Videos posted on The Irrawaddy online news site showed several mosques toppling. It was not clear whether those numbers were already included in the official toll. Myanmar state MRTV reported that the leader of the military government, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, told Pakistan's prime minister during a call that 2,065 people were killed, with more than 3,900 injured and about 270 missing. Relief agencies expect those numbers to rise sharply, since access is slow to remote areas where communications are down. The United Nations' Myanmar country team called for unimpeded access for aid teams. 'Even before this earthquake, nearly 20 million people in Myanmar were in need of humanitarian assistance,' said Marcoluigi Corsi, the UN resident and humanitarian co-ordinator. 'We're really not clear on the scale of the destruction at this stage,' Lauren Ellery, deputy director of programmes in Myanmar for the International Rescue Committee (IRC), told The Associated Press. 'They were talking about a town near Mandalay where 80% of the buildings were reportedly collapsed, but it wasn't in the news because telecommunications have been slow.' Groups the IRC works with have reported that some places are cut off by landslides, she said. The World Health Organisation said it has reports of three hospitals destroyed and 22 partially damaged in the region. 'There is an urgent need for trauma and surgical care, blood transfusion supplies, anaesthetics, essential medicines and mental health support,' it said. An artificial intelligence analysis of satellite images of Mandalay by Microsoft's AI for Good Lab showed 515 buildings with 80% to 100% damage and another 1,524 with 20% to 80% damage. It was not clear what percentage of the city's buildings that represented. Rescue efforts are also complicated by the civil war. In 2021, the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into significant armed resistance. While one group has declared a partial unilateral ceasefire, the government and other armed groups have not stopped fighting. Government forces have lost control of much of Myanmar, and many places were dangerous or impossible for aid groups to reach even before the quake. More than three million people have been displaced by the fighting, according to the UN. Ms Ellery noted that the area worst hit by the earthquake was seriously damaged by flooding last year, and many displaced people sought refuge there. Since the earthquake, many people have been sleeping outside, either because homes were destroyed or out of fear of aftershocks. Monsoon rains start in May and finding people shelter will be a major challenge, she said. International rescue teams from several countries are on the scene, including from Russia, China, India and several South East Asian countries. On Monday, an Indian team jackhammered through slabs of fallen concrete at one site in Mandalay. They could be seen bringing out one body. The European Union, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and others have announced millions of dollars in aid. Despite massive cuts and sackings at the US Agency for International Development – the body charged with delivering humanitarian assistance overseas – the US embassy said a team of experts was on its way to Myanmar. The embassy said it would provide up to two million dollars through local organisations. A small number of US military personnel were sent to assist in Bangkok, where the earthquake killed at least 18 people, many at a construction site where a partially built high-rise collapsed. Another 33 have been reported injured and 78 missing, primarily at the construction site near the popular Chatuchak market. On Monday, heavy equipment was temporarily shut down at the site and authorities urged onlookers to be silent as they used machines to try to detect signs of life. Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters that signs had been detected on Sunday night, though experts could not determine whether it had been machine error. Watching the crews at work, Naruemon Thonglek said she had 'made some peace' with the fact that her partner and five friends there were unlikely to be found alive. 'A part of me still hopes they will survive,' she said.
Los Angeles Times
31-03-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
Earthquake compounds Myanmar's humanitarian crisis as the death toll passes 1,700
BANGKOK — The massive earthquake in Myanmar killed several hundred Muslims praying at mosques during the holy month of Ramadan and 270 Buddhist monks crushed by a collapsing monastery, rescuers and an activist group said Monday as the overall death toll passed 1,700. The quake could exacerbate hunger and disease outbreaks in a country that was already one of the world's most challenging places for humanitarian organizations to operate because of civil war, warned aid groups and the United Nations. With access difficult, the true death toll is unknown. The magnitude 7.7 quake hit Friday, with the epicenter near Myanmar's second-largest city of Mandalay. It damaged the city's airport, buckled roads and collapsed hundreds of buildings along a wide swath down the country's center. Relief efforts are further hampered by power outages, fuel shortages and spotty communications. A lack of heavy machinery has slowed search-and-rescue operations, forcing many to search for survivors by hand in daily temperatures above 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Rescue workers at Mandalay's collapsed U Hla Thein monastery said they were still searching for about 150 of the dead monks. Some 700 Muslim worshippers attending Friday prayers were killed when mosques collapsed, said Tun Kyi, a member of the steering committee of the Spring Revolution Myanmar Muslim Network. He said some 60 mosques were damaged or destroyed. Videos posted on the Irrawaddy online news site showed several mosques toppling. It was not clear whether those numbers were already included in the official death toll. Government spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun told state-run MRTV that more than 1,700 people had been found dead, 3,400 had been injured and more than 300 were missing. The United Nations' Myanmar country team called for unimpeded access for aid teams. 'Even before this earthquake, nearly 20 million people in Myanmar were in need of humanitarian assistance,' said Marcoluigi Corsi, the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator. 'We're really not clear on the scale of the destruction at this stage,' Lauren Ellery, deputy director of programs in Myanmar for the International Rescue Committee, told the Associated Press. 'They were talking about a town near Mandalay where 80% of the buildings were reportedly collapsed, but it wasn't in the news because telecommunications have been slow.' Groups the IRC works with have reported that some places are cut off by landslides, she said. The World Health Organization said it has reports of three hospitals destroyed and 22 partially damaged in the region. 'There is an urgent need for trauma and surgical care, blood transfusion supplies, anesthetics, essential medicines and mental health support,' it said. An artificial intelligence analysis of satellite images of Mandalay by Microsoft's AI for Good Lab showed 515 buildings with 80% to 100% damage and 1,524 more with 20% to 80% damage. It was not clear what percentage of the city's buildings that represented. Rescue efforts are also complicated by the civil war. In 2021, the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into significant armed resistance. While one group has declared a partial unilateral ceasefire, the government and other armed groups have not stopped fighting. Government forces have lost control of much of Myanmar, and many places were dangerous or impossible for aid groups to reach even before the quake. More than 3 million people have been displaced by the fighting, according to the U.N. Ellery with the International Rescue Committee noted that the area worst hit by the earthquake was seriously damaged by flooding last year, and many displaced people sought refuge there. Since the earthquake, many people have been sleeping outside, either because homes were destroyed or out of fear of aftershocks. Monsoon rains start in May and finding people shelter will be a major challenge, she said. International rescue teams from several countries are on the scene, including from Russia, China, India and several Southeast Asian countries. On Monday, an Indian team jackhammered through slabs of fallen concrete at one site in Mandalay. They could be seen bringing out one body. The European Union, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and others have announced millions of dollars in aid. Despite massive cuts and firings at the U.S. Agency for International Development — the body tasked with delivering humanitarian assistance overseas — the U.S. Embassy said a team of experts was on its way to Myanmar. The embassy said it would provide up to $2 million through local organizations. A small number of U.S. military personnel were sent to assist in Bangkok, where the earthquake killed at least 18 people, many at a construction site where a partially built high-rise collapsed. An additional 33 have been reported injured and 78 missing, primarily at the construction site near the popular Chatuchak market. On Monday, heavy equipment was temporarily shut down at the site and authorities urged onlookers to be silent as they used machines to try to detect signs of life. Bangkok Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters that signs had been detected Sunday night, though experts could not determine whether it had been machine error. Watching the crews at work, Naruemon Thonglek said she had 'made some peace' with the fact that her partner and five friends there were unlikely to be found alive. 'A part of me still hope they will survive,' she said. Rising writes for the Associated Press. AP journalists Jerry Harmer and Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok, and Jon Gambrell in Dubai contributed to this report.
Chicago Tribune
31-03-2025
- Climate
- Chicago Tribune
Earthquake compounds humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, where death toll has passed 1,700
BANGKOK — A massive earthquake that rocked Myanmar could exacerbate hunger and disease outbreaks in a country already wracked by food shortages, mass displacement and civil war, aid groups and the United Nations warned Monday. The official death toll climbed past 1,700, but the true figure is feared to be much higher. The 7.7 magnitude quake hit Friday, with an epicenter near Myanmar's second-largest city of Mandalay, damaging the city's airport, buckling roads and downing hundreds of buildings along a wide swath of territory down the middle of the country. Some 270 monks were taking an exam in Mandalay's U Hla Thein monastery, which crumpled to the ground when the quake struck. Seventy were able to escape, but rescue workers at the scene Monday said 50 were found dead and that they were still searching for 150 more in the rubble. Some 700 Muslim worshippers attending Friday prayers during the holy month of Ramadan were also killed when mosques collapsed, said Tun Kyi, a member of the steering committee of the Spring Revolution Myanmar Muslim Network. It was not clear whether they or the monks were already included in the official count. Tun Kyi said some 60 mosques were damaged or destroyed, and videos posted on The Irrawaddy online news site showed several mosques toppling during the quake, and people fleeing from the areas. With an ongoing civil war and poor infrastructure, Myanmar was already one of the most challenging places in the world for aid organizations to operate, and relief efforts have been further hampered by severe damage to roads, bridges and hospitals, power outages, fuel shortages and spotty communications. A lack of heavy machinery has slowed search-and-rescue operations, forcing many to search for survivors by hand, with daily temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). Government spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun told state-run MRTV that more than 1,700 people had been found dead and that another 3,400 have been injured and more than 300 were missing. 'This latest tragedy compounds an already dire crisis and risks further eroding the resilience of communities already battered by conflict, displacement, and past disasters,' the United Nations' Myanmar country team said Monday, calling for unimpeded access for aid convoys, medical personnel and assessment teams. 'Even before this earthquake, nearly 20 million people in Myanmar were in need of humanitarian assistance,' said Marcoluigi Corsi, the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator for Myanmar. Full extent of the devastation is not yet clear Aid agencies in Myanmar say their teams on the ground still don't have a true picture of the devastation. 'We're really not clear on the scale of the destruction at this stage,' Lauren Ellery, deputy director of programs in Myanmar for the International Rescue Committee, told The Associated Press. 'They were talking about a town near Mandalay where 80% of the buildings were reportedly collapsed, but it wasn't in the news because telecommunications have been slow.' And groups the IRC works with reported that some places have been physically cut off by landslides, she said. The World Health Organization said it has reports of three hospitals destroyed and 22 partially damaged in the region. 'The scale of deaths and injuries is not yet fully understood and the numbers are expected to increase,' the U.N. agency said in a report. 'The earthquake's devastation has overwhelmed health care facilities in the affected areas, which are struggling to manage the influx of injured individuals,' it added. 'There is an urgent need for trauma and surgical care, blood transfusion supplies, anesthetics, essential medicines, and mental health support.' An artificial intelligence analysis of satellite images of Mandalay by Microsoft's AI for Good Lab showed 515 buildings with 80%-100% damage and another 1,524 with between 20% and 80% damage. It was not clear what percentage of the city's buildings that represented. Myanmar was already enduring a humanitarian crisis Beyond the earthquake damage, rescue efforts are complicated by the bloody civil war roiling much of the country. In 2021, the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has since turned into significant armed resistance. While one group in the civil war declared a partial unilateral ceasefire, the government and other armed groups have not stopped fighting, despite international calls to end the violence to facilitate the humanitarian response. Government forces have lost control of much of Myanmar, and many places were dangerous or impossible for aid groups to reach even before the quake. More than 3 million people have been displaced by the fighting, according to the U.N. Ellery, of the International Rescue Committee, noted that the area worst hit by the earthquake was already seriously damaged by flooding last year in which many lost homes, and is also where many of the country's internally displaced people have sought refuge. Since the earthquake, many people have been sleeping outside, either because their homes have been destroyed or they are worried that the continuing aftershocks might bring them down. With the monsoon rains starting in May, finding people shelter was going to be a major challenge, she said. 'You have these flooding events … that lead to disease outbreaks, they lead to displacement and food insecurity, but then with damaged hospitals and clearly damaged sanitation systems, it's really increasing the risk of disease outbreaks,' she said. 'It's pretty much unparalleled stress on many, many vulnerable people' Myanmar's neighbors and allies are among those sending aid International rescue teams from several countries are now on the scene, including from Russia, China, India and several Southeast Asian countries. On Monday, an Indian team jackhammered through slabs of fallen concrete at one site in Mandalay, cutting rebar reinforcement with an angle grinder powered by a portable generator as they sought to reach lower levels. They could be seen bringing out one covered body and loading it into an ambulance. The European Union, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and others have announced millions of dollars in aid, either directly or through local partners and international organizations. Despite massive cuts and firings at the U.S. Agency for International Development — the body charged with delivering humanitarian assistance overseas — the American Embassy said a team of experts was on its way to Myanmar. The embassy said it would provide up to $2 million through local organizations. A small number of American military personnel were also sent to assist in Bangkok, where the earthquake killed at least 18 people, many at a construction site where a partially built high-rise collapsed. Another 33 have been reported injured and 78 missing, primarily at the construction site near the popular Chatuchak market. Rescuers look for survivors in Bangkok On Monday, heavy equipment was temporarily shut down at the site and authorities urged onlookers to be silent as they used machines to try and detect any signs of life from under the rubble. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters at the scene that signs had been detected Sunday night, though experts could not determine whether it had been machine error. Watching the crews work in the rubble, Naruemon Thonglek said she had already 'made some peace' with the fact that her partner and five friends believed buried beneath were unlikely to be found alive. 'A part of me still hope they will survive,' she said. 'For a miracle, if it exists.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Deaths from Devastating Myanmar Quake Climb Past 1,700
The death toll from the earthquake that hit Myanmar has risen to more than 1,700 as more bodies have been pulled from the rubble, the country's military-led government said Monday. Government spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun told state-run MRTV that another 3,400 have been injured and more than 300 were missing. The military had previously reported 1,644 dead but did not provide specific figures in its update, The Associated Press reported. The 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit at midday Friday, causing widespread damage, including in the capital Naypitaw and the second largest city, Mandalay. It was the time of Friday prayers for the country's Muslim minority during the holy month of Ramadan, and some 700 worshippers were killed when mosques collapsed, said Tun Kyi, a member of the steering committee of the Spring Revolution Myanmar Muslim Network. It was not clear whether they were already included in the official count of casualties. Tun Kyi said some 60 mosques were damaged or destroyed when the earthquake struck, and videos posted on The Irrawaddy online news site showed several mosques toppling during the quake, and people fleeing from the areas. In Mandalay, 270 monks were taking a religious exam at the U Hla Thein monastery when the quake hit, crumpling the building. Rescue workers at the scene Monday said 70 were able to escape, but 50 have already been found dead and 150 are still unaccounted for. The true number of people killed and injured across the regions hit is thought to be possibly many times the official figures, but with telecommunication outages and extreme challenges to movement around the country, little is known about the damage in many areas. 'We're really not clear on the scale of the destruction at this stage,' Lauren Ellery, deputy director of programs in Myanmar for the International Rescue Committee, told The Associated Press. There is a state of emergency in six regions, and Ellery said her teams on the ground and their local partners are currently assessing where needs are the greatest, while providing emergency medical care, humanitarian supplies and other assistance. 'They were talking about a town near Mandalay where 80% of the buildings were reportedly collapsed, but it wasn't in the news because telecommunications have been slow,' she said. 'Even in areas where there isn't so much impact, our partner reported to us on Saturday that there were landslides stopping them reaching one of the villages.' The earthquake, centered near Mandalay — a city of some 1.5 million, brought down buildings and damaged other infrastructure like the city's airport. An artificial intelligence analysis of satellite images of Mandalay by Microsoft's AI for Good Lab showed 515 buildings with 80%-100% damage and another 1,524 with between 20% and 80% damage. Another 180,004 buildings had between 0% and 20% damage, and the AI4G Lab noted that the assessment was a 'preliminary guide and will require on-the-ground verification." The World Health Organization said it has reports of three hospitals destroyed and 22 partially damaged in the region. 'The scale of deaths and injuries is not yet fully understood and the numbers are expected to increase,' the UN agency said in a report. 'The earthquake's devastation has overwhelmed healthcare facilities in the affected areas, which are struggling to manage the influx of injured individuals. There is an urgent need for trauma and surgical care, blood transfusion supplies, anesthetics, essential medicines, and mental health support.' A lack of heavy machinery has slowed search and rescue operations, forcing many to slowly search for survivors by hand in the relentless heat, with daily temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). Myanmar's neighbors and allies are among those lending aid International rescue teams from several countries are now on the scene, including from Russia, China, India and several Southeast Asian countries.
