Humanitarian aid, rescue teams and prayers have begun pouring into Myanmar, as the war-ravaged country comes to grips with the impact of a massive earthquake that likely claimed tens of thousands of lives.
The 7.7-magnitude quake hit north-west of the city of Sagaing at a shallow depth at around lunchtime on March 28.
A 6.4-magnitude aftershock hit the same area
Seismic waves were felt in Thailand, Vietnam, southern China, India, Bangladesh and Malaysia.
While the full extent of the catastrophe has yet to emerge, Myanmar’s junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on March 28 asked for immediate international help.
That rare plea raises the prospect that damage and casualties may be on a large scale, with Myanmar’s medical system and infrastructure ravaged by four years of civil war.
Asean’s foreign ministers said in a joint statement on March 29 they would “work closely to coordinate humanitarian assistance, support and facilitate relief operations, and ensure timely and effective humanitarian response”.
Malaysia said it would send a team to Myanmar, consisting of one commander and 49 rescue personnel to support humanitarian and disaster relief operations.
President Prabowo Subianto wrote on X on March 28 that Indonesia stands ready to provide all necessary support for recovery efforts.
President Donald Trump said the US “will be helping”. “It’s terrible,” he told reporters. “It’s a real bad one… we’ve already spoken with the country.”
But the effects of his administration’s deep cuts in foreign assistance through the US Agency for International Development (USAid) and the State Department will likely be tested in any response to the first big natural disaster of his second term.
Ms Sarah Charles, a former senior USAid official who oversaw disaster-response teams and overall humanitarian work under the Biden administration, said the system was now “in shambles”, without the people or resources to move quickly to pull out survivors from collapsed buildings and otherwise save lives.
Aid and prayers
The United Nations and World Health Organisation (WHO) – both reeling from Mr Trump’s aid cuts – are mobilising their resources to help Myanmar, Thailand and other nations.
“Our teams in Myanmar are already in contact with local authorities in order to fully mobilise our resources in the region to support the people of Myanmar and other countries impacted,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at a news conference.
The WHO is mobilising its logistics hub in Dubai to prepare trauma injury supplies.
It is coordinating its earthquake response from its Geneva headquarters “because we see this as a huge event” with “clearly a very, very big threat to life and health”, spokeswoman Margaret Harris said at a media briefing.
“We’ve activated our logistics hub to look particularly for trauma supplies and things like external fixators because we expect that there will be many, many injuries that need to be dealt with,” she added.
China, which has close ties with Myanmar’s junta, sent an 82-person team of rescuers to the country.
A separate rescue team from Yunnan in China arrived in Myanmar’s commercial hub Yangon on March 29, CCTV reported.
Beijing is also providing Myanmar with 100 million yuan (S$18 million) in emergency aid, including tents, medical kits and food, with the first batch set to arrive on March 31.
President Xi Jinping “expressed deep sorrow” in his message to Gen Min Aung Hlaing.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said a C-130 military transport plane had been dispatched carrying essential items.
“A search-and-rescue team and medical team are also accompanying this flight,” he added. “We will continue to monitor the developments and more aid will follow.”
Rescuers from India loading relief materials at an air base in Ghaziabad on March 28.PHOTO: AFP
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he is “deeply saddened” over the devastation.
“I sincerely pray for the swift recovery of those affected as well as the early restoration of the disaster-stricken areas. We stand with the people of Myanmar, our close friend, in this difficult time,” he added.
South Korea will provide US$2 million (S$2.7 million) in humanitarian aid to Myanmar, its foreign ministry said on March 29.
In a telegram published by the Vatican, Pope Francis said he is “deeply saddened by the loss of life and widespread devastation”.
He offered prayers for those who died and emergency workers.
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