Bangkok, Apr. 1, (dpa/GNA) – The death toll rose to 2,719 four days after the severe earthquake that hit Myanmar, the ruling military junta said in an update on Tuesday.
However, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing emphasized that the number would likely rise to over 3,000.
More than 4,500 people were injured, and around 440 are still missing, he said. The general added that it was likely that these would also only be recovered dead. The critical threshold for a person to survive without food and water is generally 72 hours.
The earthquake on Friday, with its epicentre near the Myanmar cities of Sagaing and Mandalay, had a magnitude of 7.7.
Update from Thai capital
In Bangkok, where the tremors were also felt and the shell of a high-rise building under construction collapsed, rescuers continue to search a massive pile of rubble with dogs, cameras, and sonar devices for signs of life.
So far, however, only bodies have been recovered, and dozens of people are still missing.
The governor of the metropolis, Chadchart Sittipunt, stressed that it remains a rescue mission and not solely a recovery mission. According to authorities, the death toll in the Thai capital is currently around 20.
Religious sites in Myanmar destroyed
Thousands of religious buildings were destroyed in Myanmar as a result of the massive earthquake.
More than 2,000 monasteries and pagodas in the Sagaing region alone are said to have collapsed completely or partially, the International Buddhist Education Centre (IBEC) said in a post on Facebook on Monday.
The region was particularly affected by the 7.7-magnitude quake, with at least 2,000 fatalities.
IBEC described it as a “great loss for Buddhism” and said that it was one of the most severe earthquakes ever in Sagaing.
Reports indicate that many Buddhist structures and Buddha statues in the second-largest city, Mandalay, as well as in the famous World Heritage site of Bagan, have also been damaged. However, the exact extent is still unclear, especially in Bagan.
The World Monuments Fund stated that information is currently being gathered, but the situation in the civil war-torn country is challenging.
Along with the temples of Angkor in Cambodia and Borobodur on Java, Bagan is among the most important archaeological sites in all of South-East Asia.
Already in 2016, many dozens of the more than 3,000 structures from the 9th to 13th centuries were damaged in a 6.8-magnitude quake. The temple city has been part of UNESCO’s World Heritage since 2019.
Almost 90% of the population of Myanmar are Buddhists.
Situation on the ground in Myanmar desperate
Meanwhile, the situation for the population is desperate: Families are digging through rubble for their relatives, people are sleeping on mats without shelter, and there is a lack of everything.
Videos circulating on social networks show the unprecedented destruction in the region. Many people are queuing for food distributions from volunteers.
“We don’t have exact numbers, but we assume that 9 million people are severely affected,” Henry Braun, country director of the German charity Welthungerhilfe, also known as German Agro Action, told dpa.
Because professional rescue teams have partly not yet arrived or have no access, so-called “sandal rescuers” are doing most of the work.
“In Myanmar, people usually wear flip-flops. It is the ordinary people who are digging with shovels and doing the most,” Braun said.
At the same time, Braun warned of the spread of diseases due to the intense summer heat. Observers report a strong smell of decay in many areas because body bags are running out.
Aid organizations also find it difficult to reach the affected regions due to destroyed roads and bridges.
Junta continues strikes regardless of quake
Meanwhile, fighting and airstrikes by the junta continue in other parts of the country. On Sunday evening, the military reportedly bombed the Moenyin district of Kachin State, according to the news portal Myanmar Now. At least 38 young men were killed, it was reported.
The generals have long been at war with their own population. In the multi-ethnic state, the junta seized power in early 2021. Since then, it has responded with brutal force.
GNA
PDC