The death toll from Friday’s 7.7 magnitude Myanmar earthquake has risen past 1, 700, and a ceasefire in the worn-torn country looks unlikely anytime soon.
Sky Villa Condominium, an 11-story residential tower, collapsed not far from the epicenter of the earthquake. Four of its previously existing floors are now underground. Unfortunately, the rescue teams are lacking the equipment to lift rubble around the building.
A teacher who requested to remain anonymous said, “There are many, maybe around 100 bodies, piled up one after another.”
Many residents in the surrounding area are now sleeping outside of their now-destroyed homes. One of the residents, Maung Tayoke, tried to rescue survivors out of the debris.
Authorities have been trying to prevent people from recording the damage on their phones.
Rescue Teams Arrive
International rescue teams have come to Mandalay from countries all over the region, including Thailand, India, Singapore and China. Many of them have flown into the airport further south in Yangon, due to the Myanmar earthquake’s damage to the Mandalay airport. Other areas of Myanmar are still without rescue teams.
More Earthquakes Strike the Region
The Myanmar earthquake on Friday was not the end of the panic for citizens of the country. Dozens of other quakes have swept across the region, including a magnitude 5.1 quake hitting the country on Sunday.
Diminishing Hopes of a Ceasefire
The National Unity Government, Myanmar’s ruling military government, ordered its armed militias to cease fighting, however, it has carried out at least two air strikes since the quake last Friday.
After Friday’s disaster, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, declared a state of emergency across several regions.
A professor of law at the University of Reading stated, “There absolutely has to be a ceasefire but it looks instead like the military will use this crisis to continue its efforts to have a stronghold over Myanmar.”
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