On Sunday, March 30th, casualties from the earthquake in Myanmar continued to rise. Foreign rescue teams and aid supplies poured into this impoverished country, as local hospitals became overwhelmed and some communities struggled to carry out rescue operations with limited resources.
The Myanmar military government stated that the 7.7-magnitude earthquake was one of the strongest the country has experienced in a century. As of Sunday, the powerful quake had resulted in approximately 1,700 deaths, 3,400 injuries, and over 300 people missing.
According to reports from Myanmar official media, the head of the military government, Min Aung Hlaing, warned that the death toll could rise further, acknowledging the severe situation his government is facing. Three days earlier, he made a rare appeal to the international community for assistance.
Neighboring countries such as India, China, and Thailand provided rescue supplies and dispatched rescue teams, while Malaysia, Singapore, and Russia also offered aid and personnel.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) stated in a joint statement, “The scope of destruction is vast, and humanitarian needs are increasing by the hour.”
“With temperatures rising and the imminent rainy season within weeks, it is urgently needed to stabilize affected communities before secondary crises emerge,” the statement added.
The United States pledged $2 million in aid through “humanitarian assistance organizations in Myanmar,” and stated that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is deploying an emergency team to Myanmar, despite the Trump administration’s significant cutbacks to this federal agency.
Since the military coup in 2021 that overthrew the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar has been plunged into chaos and internal conflict, with the earthquake adding to the country’s woes.
With a population of 55 million nationwide, the country’s critical infrastructure, including bridges, roads, airports, and railways, has been severely damaged. This has hindered the progress of humanitarian relief efforts, compounded by the economic devastation from ongoing internal conflicts that have left over 3.5 million people displaced, further straining the already weak healthcare system.
Local residents informed Reuters that in some areas near the epicenter, government aid has been scarce, leaving people to fend for themselves.
According to the predictive model by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the death toll in Myanmar could eventually exceed 10,000, with losses potentially surpassing the country’s annual economic output.
(Reference: Reuters)