Death toll surpasses 3,000 with 1,807 bodies recovered in Mandalay
A 4.7 magnitude aftershock hit the Mandalay Region on Monday following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake on March 28. More than 200 tremors have been reported by residents in central Burma following the earthquake. Sagaing – the epicenter of the earthquake – as well as Mandalay, Magway, Bago, Naypyidaw, and southern Shan State were the regions hardest-hit.
DVB has documented 3,034 bodies recovered, 3,517 injured, and 498 still missing nationwide. The death toll in Mandalay has reached 1,807. The Fire Services Department said that it recovered six bodies and rescued three survivors from the the Great Wall Hotel in Maharaungmyay Township and the Sky Villa Condominium in Aungmyaythazan Township of Mandalay Region on Monday.
The regime in Naypyidaw has denied international media requests to cover earthquake relief and recovery efforts. “Many hotels were damaged, and water and electricity are unreliable in several places. Authorities are also too busy [to assist journalists],” regime spokesperson Zaw Min Tun shared in a message on Sunday. A week of national mourning will take place until April 6.
Naypyidaw rejects relief over ‘security concerns’
The regime in Naypyidaw declined an offer of aid from the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), according to a source close to the ethnic armed group. The MNDAA, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and the Arakan Army (AA), pledged earthquake relief in a joint statement on Saturday.
“[The regime] won’t let us enter [areas under its control] because of military security concerns. They should at least let civil society organizations in,” the source told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The United Wa State Army (UWSA) announced 2 billion MMK ($450,000 USD) in aid. The Karen National Union (KNU), and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), also pledged to help.
The National Unity Government (NUG) announced an initial $1 million USD and a two-week pause in People’s Defence Force (PDF) operations against regime forces, except in self-defence. Airstrikes were carried out by the Burma Air Force on Hpruso Township of Karenni State and Bhamo Township of Kachin State on Sunday, where fighting between regime and resistance forces is ongoing.
International aid deliveries arrive post-earthquake
China, Russia, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia have dispatched rescue teams to Burma after the earthquake. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated on Sunday that trauma kits and multipurpose tents had arrived at a 1,000-bed hospital in Naypyidaw and that supplies would soon reach the Mandalay General Hospital.
“There have been many countries who have pledged emergency support. I know there are cargo trucks coming in right now with medical supplies into Myanmar. There’s a commitment by many countries, the United Nations certainly,” Tom Andrews, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma, told DVB. “This is a catastrophe of immense proportions.”
Australia pledged $1.2 million USD for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Sunday. The U.K. announced $13 million USD in aid. The E.U. will provide $2.7 million USD in emergency assistance. A U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) assessment team is expected to arrive in Burma as U.S. President Donald Trump promised to help on Friday.
News by Region
SAGAING—Sagaing Township residents told DVB on Monday that they are unable to bury over 200 people killed during the earthquake. Three mosques, including the Myodaw, the Myoma, and the Masjid Jamae, collapsed on Friday. Sagaing town is located 68 miles (109 km) east of the region’s capital Monywa.
“We have to send the bodies to Mandalay because the Muslim cemetery in Sagaing is in a military-controlled zone, making access to it difficult,” a resident told DVB on condition of anonymity. Sagaing residents reported Sunday that 90 percent of the town has been completely destroyed and decomposing bodies are left outside. Read more.
MAGWAY—Residents of Salin and Pauk townships told DVB that regime airstrikes and arson attacks destroyed an unknown number of homes. Residents are sheltering in nearby forests. Pauk and Salin townships are located 50-147 miles (80-220 km) west and east of the region’s capital Magway.
“A military aircraft dropped bombs over Ywathitkone village and its infantry troops set fire to the homes, destroying almost all of the homes from the village,” a monk told DVB. He added that a monastery and an unknown number of homes collapsed in Pauk during the earthquake. No casualties have been reported.
KARENNI—Hpruso Township residents told DVB that two homes were destroyed by an airstrike carried out by the Burma Air Force on Sunday. Hpruso is located 20 miles (32 km) north of the capital Loikaw. “Two bombs landed on a home. Luckily, everyone was at the church,” a Hpruso resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,450 MMK)
A Q&A with a survivor of the Myanmar earthquake in Mandalay. Follow DVB English News for the latest on #WhatshappeninginMyanmar by subscribing to the Daily Briefing.
