Efforts to locate survivors of Myanmar’s catastrophic earthquake on March 28 were progressively drawing to a close on Monday as relief and recovery operations deepened. The confirmed death toll rose above 3,600, continuously increasing.
A report from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed that over 17.2 million individuals residing in the impacted areas are in dire need of food, potable water, medical services, financial aid, and emergency housing.
Amid light rain in Naypyitaw, Myanmar’s capital, residents salvaged wood from wrecked homes while soldiers cleared debris from local Buddhist monasteries. Meanwhile, the Myanmar Fire Services Department announced that rescue squads recovered 10 bodies from the debris of a collapsed building in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city.
International rescuers from Singapore, Malaysia, and India concluded their search for survivors and have since returned home. Operations in Naypyitaw’s residential neighborhoods have significantly reduced with fewer rescue teams remaining.
The 7.7 magnitude earthquake affected a vast part of the nation, severely impacting infrastructure across six regions and states. As a result, many regions are without power and communication due to damaged roads, bridges, and telecommunication networks, complicating efforts to gauge the full extent of destruction.
Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, a representative of the military government, reported late Monday that the quake’s toll was at 3,600 deceased with 5,017 injured and 160 unaccounted for. Search and rescue operations, involving 1,738 personnel from 20 countries, successfully located 653 survivors. The disaster is officially named “the Big Mandalay Earthquake” for standardized future referencing, following the tradition of naming major earthquakes.
The OCHA report further stressed that entire communities are uprooted, resulting in adverse societal conditions, market disruptions, and overwhelming strain on essential services, including water supply, sanitation, and healthcare systems, which are nearing collapse.
Those who lost homes to the quake face Myanmar’s intense heat in its hottest month, alongside the additional threat of rain commencing in Mandalay, jeopardizing the displaced seeking refuge outdoors.
Meanwhile, Myanmar’s military government and its adversaries continue mutual accusations over breaking ceasefire agreements intended to facilitate earthquake relief efforts. Despite declarations of temporary unilateral ceasefires by both the military government and rebel forces, widespread reports continue to emerge regarding ongoing hostilities, with the military being particularly criticized for aerial assaults according to local media.
Reliable verification of these skirmishes remains difficult due to inaccessibility and restricted media coverage in conflict regions.
The Three Brotherhood Alliance, a coalition of powerful ethnic guerrilla groups, announced a temporary, unilateral ceasefire on April 1, echoing a previous declaration by the opposition National Unity Government (NUG), which spearheads pro-democracy resistance with its armed wing, the People’s Defense Force, to halt offensive maneuvers for two weeks.
The army issued a similar standdown declaration on Wednesday, joined by its foe, the Kachin Independence Organization, allowing for defensive engagements only.
However, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army, affiliates of the Three Brotherhood Alliance, have separately charged the army with sustaining its offensive. The shadow National Unity Government on Saturday accused the military of orchestrating 63 air and artillery strikes since the seismic event, leading to 68 civilian deaths, including a child and 15 women.
Nonetheless, military spokesperson Zaw Min Tun accused the opposition and regional ethnic forces of ceasefire breaches by attacking the military, emphasizing their ongoing relief efforts amid ceasefire violations.