The State Administration Council of Myanmar’s Information Team reported on Saturday that the earthquake that rocked the country has left at least 1,002 people dead, 2,376 injured, and 30 missing.
Despite significant interruptions to communication and transportation networks, rescue operations have stepped up in Myanmar in the wake of Friday afternoon’s strong 7.7-magnitude earthquake.
The earthquake, which started close to Sagaing, caused 12 aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 2.8 to 7.5, which made the situation in the impacted areas more worse.
According to the Xinhua news agency, Mandalay, Bago, Magway, northeastern Shan State, Sagaing, and Nay Pyi Taw are among the areas most severely affected. The destruction has been extensive.
A national emergency has been proclaimed by the Myanmar government, and rescuers are working nonstop to help those in need.
Relief efforts were complicated by the significant damage to the Yangon-Mandalay highway, a vital transportation route, which occurred close to Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay.
In order to reach the earthquake-affected areas and aid rescue efforts, people have turned to traveling over the older Yangon-Mandalay road. Travel between Yangon and Mandalay, Myanmar’s two biggest cities, has also been made more difficult by the collapse of buildings at Mandalay Airport and portions of the roadway.
Rescue crews from lower Myanmar, including firefighters, have reached the badly damaged districts, such as Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw. Relief operations have been made more difficult, though, by damaged infrastructure, power outages, and interruptions to phone and internet services.
Foreign aid has started to come in. In order to assist Myanmar’s emergency response and deliver help to impacted villages, a Chinese rescue team arrived in Yangon on Saturday morning.
Myanmar faces the difficult task of recuperating after one of its most violent earthquakes in recent history, while rescue teams and authorities work around the clock to help those affected by the disaster.
Coordinated relief efforts are desperately needed to assist survivors in rebuilding their lives because vital services have been interrupted and vital infrastructure has been harmed.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of Myanmar, has urged the international and local populations to provide humanitarian aid. Min Aung Hlaing came to Mandalay on Saturday morning to help with the rescue efforts.
Source: IANS