The official death toll from the earthquake that crushed central Myanmar has exceeded 1,600, the country's military leader said on Saturday. He said hopeless rescuers competed to find survivors and began tackling monumental disasters in a country already struck by the Civil War.
A powerful earthquake struck on Friday near Mandalay, the country's second largest city, where volunteer emergency workers were searching for living people, searching for abandoned apartments, monasteries and mosques. The earthquake knocked down the power lines and succumbed to the roads. The workers were struggling as they lacked equipment like excavators and the oppressive military authorities kept their careful eyes.
“At least 100 people are still trapped inside,” said Thaw Zin, a volunteer who sat in front of the destroyed apartment complex. “We're doing our best with what we have.”
Myanmar's military junta, which overthrew an elected government in 2021, is expected to see a sharp rise in death casualties. Modeling from the US Geological Survey suggests that deaths are likely to exceed 10,000.
According to UN officials, the earthquake has raised doubts about whether Myanmar's military rulers can somehow maintain their regime, and has already lost the ground to the rebels amid a bloody civil war that left around 54 million people without food and shelter for around 20 million people.
Even after the disaster, Myanmar's military Jets dropped a bomb on Naung Lin, a village held by rebels in northern Shan Province on Friday evening. “I can't believe they bombed the air at the same time as the earthquake,” said Lway Yal Oo, a resident of Naung Lin.
The disaster on Saturday sparked rage against the military. Mandalay volunteer Thaw Zin said soldiers and police officers appeared at the disaster scene but didn't help. “They're wandering around here with guns,” he said. “You don't need a gun. You need to have a hand and a mind.”
However, the junta has recognized the enormous extent of the catastrophe, causing the collapse of buildings 600 miles away in Bangkok, sending shockwaves around Southeast Asia. The military government has declared a state of emergency in six parts of Myanmar, including areas managed by rebels, where millions of displaced people live on the rare internet.
Army leader General Min Ang Freen investigated the disaster site on Friday and visited a makeshift hospital in Naipitau, about 170 miles south of Mandalay, state media said.
The junta has been isolated and has brought extraordinary charm to seek help, even under sanctions from most parts of the world.
Aid workers must cross collapsed roads and devastated areas in a country divided into warlords, arms dealers, traffickers and drug syndicates that compete with full-scale civil wars. Experts said there is a risk that the military could interfere with providing aid, and even transferring funds to Myanmar is complicated by rules that include sanctions and money moves.
India, which shares its long border with Myanmar, sent 15 tons of aid and over 100 medical professionals, its foreign minister said, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the junta chief and provided help to “close friends and neighbors.”
And even as evidence of military atrocities grows across Myanmar's borders, China, which supplies military weapons, flew dozens of search and rescue personnel to the country on Saturday. According to Chinese state media, Beijing also planned to aid nearly $14 million in aid, including tents, first aid kits and drinking water.
South Korea has pledged $2 million in aid and will be shipped through the International Humanitarian Agency, and the Malaysian government said it will send two teams of 50 to support the relief efforts.
However, it was not clear how some of the world's wealthiest countries would offer or how they would respond. President Trump said the US was “helping,” but his administration largely ruled out the removal of major US institutions for aid, and the US, the UK and other countries imposed heavy sanctions on the junta.
Even countries that are friendly to Myanmar's military rulers have major hurdles. Early delivery of help sent from India and China went to Yangon, Myanmar's largest city. They have to run hundreds of miles north to reach Mandalay and other regions, the earthquake-affected most.
In disaster areas where roads were damaged and destroyed and largely power was lost, people tried to refill with fuel and food. Dozens of people from other Myanmar cities packed supplies into cars and vans and headed for Mandalay, hoping to pitch.
The ambulance packed the streets of Mandalay on Saturday and headed to the hospital two hours away. Among the brick, cement and metal mounds where the building stood two days ago, some people began to lose hope.
“I found a survivor yesterday, but today the chances are much lower,” said Ko Thien Win, who was rushing to the grounds of the ruined apartment building in Mandalay.
In the hospital, many others were left in a kind of purgatory, dealing with their own injuries and fearing the fate of their loved ones. Tay ther Lin had chosen a mango when the ground began to sway on Friday, so he broke his leg. He arrived at the hospital and was unable to see a doctor until Saturday morning.
He then discovered that his wife was still trapped in the tailor shop where she worked, he said. “I hope yesterday morning wasn't the last time I saw her,” he said.
Uncertainty has spread far more in Myanmar, extending to the diaspora of people who have migrated abroad in the past few decades. Richard Nee, tens of thousands of people living in Taiwan, said he and other Mandalay residents were waiting for words from friends and family. He knew that a friend's wife had died in the collapse of a building, but his sporadic communication made learning more difficult.
Engineers said many buildings in Myanmar, located in one of the world's most active seismic zones, were built to withstand earthquakes. “Many of the buildings were strong enough for a magnitude six earthquake,” he said. “But, something above magnitude 6 was too big, like at this time.”
And many survivors of the earthquake already know the fate of their loved ones.
When the earthquake struck and her apartment in Mandalay began to get intense, Swillin, six months pregnant, was able to escape the building with her husband and stepmother. However, she said her husband ran through the room to save his 90-year-old neighbor. The buildings then collapsed and killed them.
“I can't put into words the pain I feel,” she said crying as she spoke in the hospital. “My children are born without a father.”
David Pearson contributed reports from New Delhi Mujib Mashal from Hong Kong, Cho Sanhan and Sean Pike from Seoul, Chris Buckley from Taiwan, Jenny Gross from London and Hannah Beach in Boston.
