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The death toll has risen to 3,689, with 5,020 injured and 139 still unaccounted for.
Eight Chinese nationals were confirmed dead, 13 injured in the strong earthquake.
YANGON -- The death toll from a 7.9-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has risen to 3,763 as of Friday, the official daily Myanma Alinn reported on Saturday.
In addition, 5,107 people were injured and 110 people reported missing, the report said.
At the request of the Myanmar government, China has dispatched a team to assess disaster losses following a 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the Southeast Asian country in late March, according to the China Earthquake Administration.
The team, organized by the administration, was sent last Wednesday and is expected to provide scientific support for Myanmar's post-disaster reconstruction and disaster prevention efforts, the agency said in a statement.
Composed of 30 experts from universities and research institutions across China, the team has completed disaster investigations and assessments in Yangon, Bago and Nay Pyi Taw. The experts evaluated the earthquake's intensity and scope in these areas and offered recommendations for emergency response and repair of damaged homes.
On Tuesday, the team moved to Mandalay to continue its work.
According to the administration, this is the first professional assessment team sent by the Chinese government to the quake-hit region in Myanmar after local efforts transitioned from emergency rescue to epidemic prevention and recovery.
YANGON -- As of Tuesday, 52 people have been rescued, and 103 bodies have been recovered from the collapsed Sky Villa condo in central Myanmar's Mandalay region, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Wednesday.
The building collapsed after a powerful earthquake struck on March 28, the report said.
The Myanmar Rescue Team, Mandalay Region Fire Services Department, and the Mandalay Region government personnel have been carrying out rescue and clearance operations since March 28 at the collapsed site of Sky Villa, it added.
The earthquake has caused the deaths of 3,759 people and injuries to 5,107 others, with 114 individuals still reported missing nationwide as of Tuesday, according to Global New Light of Myanmar.
Fifty Chinese health workers departed on Saturday from Kunming, Yunnan province, to assist Myanmar with its epidemic prevention efforts following a magnitude 7.9 earthquake that devastated the country in late March.
The team's deployment is part of China's ongoing post-disaster relief mission. Its trip marks China's second health and epidemic prevention aid mission to Myanmar. The first team returned on April 6 after a nine-day deployment.
According to Chen Lei, deputy director of the emergency response department of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration and leader of the team, the earthquake caused severe damage to public health infrastructure. Combined with extreme heat and heavy rainfall, the region is now facing a complex and critical epidemic situation involving diseases such as cholera, measles, dengue fever and malaria.
The team will be stationed in Mandalay, one of the hardest-hit areas, and will assist with infectious disease control, risk assessment, disease surveillance, laboratory testing, epidemiological investigations, environmental disinfection, vector control, drinking water hygiene testing, health education and technical training.
The earthquake, which struck on March 28, killed 3,726 people and injured 5,105, with 129 others still unaccounted for as of April 18, according to the information team of Myanmar's State Administration Council.
He Jibo, 47, from the Yunnan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, was a member of the first team. He recalled the hardships they endured, including extreme heat, limited access to food and water, fear of aftershocks and swarms of mosquitoes, but also noted the warmth of local residents and the strength of the China-Myanmar friendship forged through adversity.
He and four other colleagues were tasked with testing water quality at a hospital in Nay Pyi Daw, Myanmar's capital, where many of the earthquake's victims were being treated. With much of the hospital's infrastructure destroyed, patients were housed in tents in the parking lot.
The team tested water for eight indicators, including residual chlorine, total chlorine, pH and hexavalent chromium.
"We exchanged two big bottles of water for the specimen we tested. They were very moved," He said. "One local worker showed me they only had a small bag of dried food for the whole day, and said they didn't have medicine. We immediately donated six bottles of water. He was very happy."
Temperatures soared to 40 C, and mosquitoes were everywhere, making prevention of vector-borne diseases such as dengue fever and malaria a top priority.
The Chinese team conducted health surveys, distributed mosquito insecticide and manual sprayers, and provided disinfectants that helped alleviate a severe local shortage. Other focuses included heatstroke prevention and waste disposal.
The health workers had little time to prepare.
"We took our luggage and left just hours after the earthquake, without saying goodbye to our families," He said.
Since 2018, the team has undergone monthly training that includes trekking 5 to 8 kilometers with 23- to 28-kilogram backpacks, simulating conditions they may face in the field. They are trained in water testing, disinfection, camp building and emergency survival skills.
Zheng Erda, another team member, said that training proved invaluable.
"I used to think the backpack was too heavy, but now every time I go out, I want to bring 10 more bottles of water," Zheng said.
Zhao Xiaonan, 39, agreed, saying the training helped them endure extreme conditions.
"It felt like the whole Earth was burning," he said.
To ward off mosquitoes, they dripped medicated oil into their face masks. Communication was difficult, and the first two nights were sleepless. Their initial shelter was a damaged building with barely any ceiling.
"We wore helmets indoors, installed warning devices and mapped out an escape route," Zhao said. "What was funny was that just after we arrived, an aftershock hit and we all ran out."
He Jibo said he was touched by the support of local volunteers, who provided fruit, phone cards, slippers and towels, and helped interpret and make local contacts.
Zheng said the experience underscored the importance of their work. "I feel a strong sense of accomplishment."
U Than Htike, vice-president of the Myanmar-China Friendship Association in Mandalay, praised China's timely support.
"When major disasters strike, China always stands in solidarity with us and offers swift assistance," he said. "Epidemic prevention experts worked tirelessly on the front lines. We are truly grateful."
Yunnan has a long history of cooperation with Myanmar in public health, including donations of vaccines and medicines, training of local medical staff, and the establishment of testing labs and joint epidemic monitoring stations, according to the Yunnan Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Xinhua contributed to this story.
Contact the writers at [email protected]
YANGON -- The seventh batch of emergency humanitarian aid supplies dispatched by the Chinese government on Sunday arrived at Yangon International Airport, Myanmar, which was hit by a devastating 7.9-magnitude earthquake on March 28.
The aid supplies include 800,000 boxes of amoxicillin capsules, 122,000 bottles of paracetamol and mannitol injection, 225,000 boxes of cefradine capsules, and 480,000 bottles of ibuprofen tablets, with a total weight of 95 tons.
The earthquake has claimed 3,726 lives and injuring 5,105 people, with 129 others remaining unaccounted for as of April 18, according to Myanmar's official data.
KUNMING -- A Chinese health team consisting of 50 members departed for Myanmar on Saturday to assist with post-disaster epidemic prevention following a 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the country in March.
The team, assembled at Myanmar's request as part of China's expanded humanitarian aid announced on April 10, includes 12 members from Beijing and 38 medical experts from Kunming, capital city of Southwest China's Yunnan province.
Equipped with emergency medical supplies and equipment, the team will focus on mitigating disease risks in quake-affected regions.
The team will work primarily in Mandalay, one of the hardest-hit regions, to implement disease prevention and control measures. Tasks will include infectious disease risk assessment, epidemiological surveillance, laboratory testing, environmental disinfection, vector control, drinking water safety inspection, public health education, and technical training for local personnel.
The team includes experts from the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration (NDCPA) and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Chen Lei, deputy director of the NDCPA's emergency response department and leader of the mission, said that the earthquake has severely damaged public health infrastructure, and that extreme heat and torrential rains have exacerbated outbreaks of cholera, measles, dengue fever and malaria.
The earthquake jolted Myanmar on March 28, claiming 3,726 lives and injuring 5,105 people, with 129 others remaining unaccounted for as of April 18, according to official data on Saturday.
YANGON -- As the response to Myanmar's 7.9-magnitude earthquake transitions from emergency relief to long-term recovery, there is an urgent need for sustained support in rebuilding housing infrastructures, restoring water and electricity, and enabling economic recovery, Yasmine Praz Dessimoz, director of Operations of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said.
Beyond emergency response, recovery efforts have to be sustained in the long run, for local people to resume a normal life, she told Xinhua in an interview.
Stark challenges persist as earthquake-affected areas face crises like loss of livelihoods, damaged infrastructure and psychological trauma, and the monsoon season threatens makeshift shelters, she said.
The ICRC official said that the organization plans to expand livelihood programs and collaborate with local authorities and international partners, focusing on restoring local livelihood, water and food supply, and the health sector.
The ICRC will work closely with the Myanmar Red Cross Society and partners in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including the Red Cross Society of China, in deploying the best personnel and expertise to address both immediate and systemic vulnerabilities of earthquake-affected regions, she said.
The 7.9-magnitude earthquake, which jolted Myanmar on March 28, has claimed 3,726 lives and left 5,105 people injured, with 129 others remaining unaccounted for as of April 18, according to Myanmar's State Administration Council Information Team on April 19.
The Red Cross Society of China has sent four batches of relief materials and rescue equipment to the earthquake-stricken Myanmar, with a total value of nearly 7.62 million yuan ($1.04 million) and a combined weight of 242.5 metric tons, the organization said on Thursday as it wraps up its international aid mission there.
The magnitude 7.9 earthquake hit Myanmar on March 28, with its epicenter in Mandalay, the country's second-largest city. The quake has killed more than 3,700 people and injured over 5,000.
China's Red Cross said that it has dispatched 37 experienced rescue workers from Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and the provinces of Zhejiang, Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou to carry out emergency rescue operations.
As of Thursday, the organization's rescue team has also set up three temporary settlements that can accommodate about 6,300 people in Mandalay and the nation's capital Nay Pyi Daw.
They have also installed water supply equipment to provide clean water for 15,000 individuals and constructed emergency toilets capable of meeting needs of 5,000 people.
Additionally, they have trained 271 local volunteers in the fields of water supply, public health, tent construction and epidemic prevention and disinfection for Myanmar's Red Cross.
In response to the request of the Myanmar government, the Chinese government has set up a disaster investigation and assessment team consisting of 30 experts to carry out disaster assessment work in Myanmar. On March 28, Myanmar was struck by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake, causing significant damage and loss of life.
YANGON -- The Chinese Embassy in Myanmar confirmed that as of 17:00 Beijing time (0300 GMT) on Saturday, the powerful earthquake in Myanmar has resulted in the deaths of eight Chinese citizens and injuries to 13 others.
The 7.9-magnitude earthquake, which jolted Myanmar on March 28, has claimed 3,689 lives and left 5,020 people injured, with 139 others remaining unaccounted for, according to Myanmar's State Administration Council Information Team on Friday.
YANGON -- The powerful earthquake that struck Myanmar has claimed 3,689 lives and left 5,020 people injured, with 139 others remaining unaccounted for as of Friday, according to the country's State Administration Council Information Team.
China has decided to provide Myanmar with a new batch of emergency humanitarian supplies including refined oil, prefabricated houses, operation rooms, medicines, and vaccines, which are much needed in the country's epidemic prevention and reconstruction after the earthquake last month.
China will also send teams of medical experts to the neighboring country for treatment and disinfection, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a daily news briefing on Thursday.
Experts will also be sent for inspection, assessment and restoration of buildings and cultural relics in the Southeast Asian nation, Lin said.
After the earthquake, over 30 rescue teams with more than 600 rescue workers from China went to Myanmar and multi batches of emergency humanitarian supplies were provided to the country, which displays China's speed, effectiveness and warmth, he said.
China was the first country to announce humanitarian assistance to Myanmar, the first to send rescue teams, he said, adding that it also saved the first survivor in Myanmar and is the first country to set up a settlement center in the earthquake-stricken area.
China's rescue efforts were warmly welcomed and commended by the people in Myanmar, Lin said.
"A merciless disaster brings out the best of humanity," he said, pledging continuous help to the people in Myanmar to overcome the difficulties and rebuild their homes.
The second batch of humanitarian relief supplies donated by the Red Cross Society of China to quake-stricken Myanmar arrived in the city of Mandalay near the epicenter in the evening of Tuesday, said the organization.
China's Red Cross sent four heavy-duty trucks loaded with emergency equipment to address hygiene, epidemic prevention and livelihood needs in affected areas. Key equipment include clean water units, mobile toilets, electric generators, lighting and disinfection devices.
These supplies were transported through a land port in Southwest China's Kunming, Yunan province, and reached Mandalay under the escort of local police.
The 7.9 magnitude quake hit Myanmar with an epicenter near Mandalay on March 28.
The first batch of relief supplies from China's Red Cross comprised mainly tends, blankets, folding beds and family kits arrived in Mandalay on April 2.
Six Chinese citizens dead, 13 injured Myanmar's devastating earthquake: Chinese embassy
BANGKOK — Long-shot efforts to find survivors from Myanmar's devastating March 28 earthquake were winding down on Monday, as rescue efforts were supplanted by increasing relief and recovery activity. The death toll surpassed 3,600 and was still climbing.
A situation report issued on Monday by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said more than 17.2 million people are living in the affected areas, and urgently need food, drinking water, healthcare, cash assistance and emergency shelter.
In the capital Nay Pyi Daw, people cleared debris and collected wood from their damaged houses under drizzling rain, and soldiers removed wreckage at some Buddhist monasteries.
Myanmar Fire Services Department said on Monday that rescue teams had recovered 10 bodies from the rubble of a collapsed building in Mandalay, Myanmar's second-biggest city.
It said international rescuers from Singapore, Malaysia and India had returned to their countries after their work to find survivors was considered completed. The number of rescue teams operating in the residential areas of Nay Pyi Daw has been steadily decreasing.
The magnitude 7.9 quake hit a wide swath of the country, causing significant damage to six regions and states. The earthquake left many areas without power, telephone or cell connections and damaged roads and bridges, making the full extent of the devastation hard to assess.
Zaw Min Tun, a spokesman for the State Administration Council, said on Monday that the quake's death toll has reached 3,600, with 5,017 injured and 160 missing. Search and rescue operations involved 1,738 personnel from 20 countries, and had helped find and extract 653 survivors, he said.
The quake has been officially named the Big Mandalay Earthquake to ensure consistency in future documentation and referencing, he added. Previous significant earthquakes also received official names.
The UN report said: "Entire communities have been upended, forcing people to seek shelter in makeshift conditions, disrupting markets, worsening psychosocial distress and bringing essential services — including running water, sanitation and health — to the verge of collapse.
"People left homeless by the earthquakes are exposed to extreme heat during the country's hottest and driest month of the year, and rains have already started in Mandalay — posing an additional threat to those sheltering in the open."
Agencies via Xinhua
They risked their lives to pull out nine people trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings and guided many others to safety, but that is not the count they keep.
For members of the Chinese teams that assisted in rescue and relief efforts in Myanmar, after a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the Southeast Asian country on March 28, it is the number of people they could not save, despite doing their best, that matters more.
As 54 Chinese rescuers returned as heroes on Sunday from Yangon, the largest city of Myanmar, to Kunming in Southwest China's Yunnan province, after a week of demonstrating extraordinary courage and endurance, their hearts still bleed for the victims of the quake.
Chen Ying, a member of the Chinese Red Cross International Emergency Response Team, said her deepest regret was not being able to save a person trapped under the rubble of a building, because an excavator needed for the rescue could not reach the site on time.
Chen was among the 17 Chinese Red Cross rescuers who arrived in Yangon on March 30. They engaged in search and rescue operations and provided medical aid and emotional support for earthquake survivors in Mandalay, the second-largest city in Myanmar.
"In this rescue mission, the most heartbreaking and regretful moment for me was at location 107. We went there three times, and had all our supplies ready. The team was determined to save one of the three individuals trapped under the building, because there were definite signs of life," she said.
Unfortunately, the Chinese rescuers failed to receive heavy equipment support on time, and it was too late by the time they did. "We felt a surge of pain when the body was brought out. It is a regret we will have to live with," she added.
Besides the Chinese Red Cross team, a 37-member rescue and medical team from Yunnan also returned on Sunday. It was the first international rescue team to arrive in Myanmar within 18 hours of the earthquake. The team carried out rescue operations and actively assisted Myanmar in developing infectious disease prevention plans in the quake-hit areas.
Both teams were warmly welcomed upon their arrival in Kunming on Sunday afternoon. While the flight crew paid a special tribute to the heroes in a cabin broadcast, local people greeted them with rounds of applause.
In addition to these two teams, Chinese civil squads such as the Blue Sky Rescue Team — the largest nongovernmental humanitarian organization in China — played a key role in rescue and relief efforts in Myanmar.
"Our team members from across China volunteered to join the rescue operations. ... They arrived in Myanmar from places such as Beijing, Tianjin and Jiangsu province at their own expense," said Xu Jingxia, a member of the Blue Sky Rescue Team.
"We carried out the first round of search and rescue within the critical 72 hours, and continued for another two to three days under the scorching 40 C temperature," Xu said, adding that the whole team returned from Myanmar on Monday.
Myanmar's State Administration Council Chairman Min Aung Hlaing, who visited the camp of Chinese rescue teams in Mandalay on Sunday, said the prompt arrival of rescuers from China exemplified the profound fraternal friendship between the two countries.
Chinese rescue teams have extensive experience in cross-border search and rescue operations, and Myanmar looks forward to strengthening communication with China to expand cooperation in emergency response, disaster prevention and mitigation efforts, he added.
Contact the writers at [email protected]
YANGON -- The death toll from the devastating earthquake in Myanmar has climbed to 3,645, with 5,017 people injured and 148 still missing, as of 6 pm local time on Tuesday, according to a statement from the State Administration Council's Information Team.
After reporting for five days from earthquake-hit Mandalay, the second-largest city in Myanmar, I arrived in Yangon, the capital, on Saturday night, when the news of a rainstorm hitting Mandalay popped up on my phone.
At the same time, I received a video message from the Chinese Red Cross International Emergency Response Team, the members of which are still at the forefront of post-disaster relief efforts in Mandalay. The video clip showed heavy rainfall and strong winds bringing down tents and a Chinese rescue worker shouting, "Evacuate immediately, do not try to secure the tents!"
Tons of relief materials freshly transported from China were stacked under these tents. Brave volunteers were trying to save the supplies, disregarding their own safety in the storm. For them, it was duty — a continuation of their work there.
Since the magnitude 7.9 earthquake rocked Myanmar on March 28, hundreds of rescue team members and volunteers from China have rushed to Mandalay to assist in rescue and relief operations.
On Friday, the Chinese teams completed the first phase of intense rescue efforts and shifted their focus to post-disaster relief work, including distributing relief supplies and setting up resettlement areas for survivors.
With the support of the local government, rows of tents were swiftly erected by the Chinese Red Cross International Emergency Response Team. At the same time, waste management efforts and the construction of temporary toilets, roads and fire exits were underway, all of which embodied what is popularly called "China speed".
As the scorching 40 C heat in Mandalay sapped energy on Friday, Sun Huamao, head of the tent construction team, said: "It's too hot. The team has been conducting search and rescue operations for several days. Everyone is exhausted."
However, they can't take a break. Not yet. As aftershocks and storms still threaten quake survivors sleeping on the streets, the resettlement areas must be ready without delay. To facilitate the work of the Chinese teams, many local residents are providing vehicles and provisional accommodations.
Zhu Hongzhan, a local jade merchant and member of the Myanmar Yunnan (China) Chamber of Commerce in Mandalay, was among those who volunteered to work with the Chinese Red Cross International Emergency Response Team. Over the past week, many of his co-workers from the chamber of commerce, who are all descendants of Chinese immigrants, have provided the first landing point and transit station for the rescue teams from China.
Zhu's 92-year-old mother told me: "I've experienced a lot in my life — wars, floods, coups, fires, earthquakes. The disasters may ruin everything we have, but we must always have the courage to keep on living."
The old woman is one of the locals I believe I will remember for a long time. The other is a 7-year-old girl, with whom my colleague, photographer Wei Xiaohao, spent some time playing soccer.
After one of their games, the little girl told me, "It's a happy day." When I asked her why, she replied, "Playing ball with Chinese people." I asked, "Are you friends (with Wei) now?" She said, "Yes."
When Wei told the girl we were leaving on Saturday, she didn't say a word, but hugged us tightly.
I hope all these people will continue to live on with courage and be safe.
Xu Nuo in Beijing contributed to this story.
YANGON -- The death toll from Myanmar's earthquake reached 3,564 as of Sunday evening, the Information Team of Myanmar's State Administration Council reported.
In addition, 5,012 people were injured and 210 remained missing due to the earthquake.
Myanmar's State Administration Council Chairman Min Aung Hlaing visited the camp of Chinese rescue teams in Mandalay on Sunday to express his gratitude to all members of the China Search and Rescue Team, the China International Search and Rescue Team and a rescue team from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for their full-force disaster response following the magnitude 7.9 earthquake that struck on March 28.
The arrival of Chinese rescue teams to provide support from afar exemplified the profound "Paukphaw" (fraternal) friendship between the two countries, Min Aung Hlaing said.
Chinese rescue teams have extensive experience in cross-border search and rescue operations, and Myanmar looks forward to strengthening communication with China to expand cooperation in emergency response, disaster prevention and mitigation efforts, he added.
As of Sunday night, the earthquake has killed 3,564 people and injured 5,012 in Myanmar, and 210 were still missing, China Central Television quoted local authorities as saying. Chinese rescue teams had successfully rescued nine survivors.
On Saturday night, heavy rain and strong winds battered Mandalay, but China's rescue teams persisted on the front line of earthquake relief efforts.
At around 8 pm on Saturday, the Mandalay and Sagaing regions, which were hit hardest by the earthquake, experienced severe rainfall and strong winds.
With the ongoing threat of aftershocks and the safety hazards posed by damaged buildings, a large number of local residents had to set up temporary shelters in open spaces and along main roads, according to Myanmar media.
A Chinese rescue team member in Mandalay said on early Sunday that the rain had stopped, but the roads were severely flooded. The wind had been extremely fierce before the rain, blowing over many of the temporary tents.
A video from Chinese rescue workers in Mandalay showed the heavy rainfall and strong winds causing tents to sway dangerously before quickly collapsing in the powerful wind. People were seen rushing for cover in the pouring rain, with a Chinese man urgently shouting: "Evacuate immediately, do not try to secure the tents!"
The extreme weather has also caused power outages in several areas where electricity had just been restored.
Despite the stormy conditions, Chinese rescue teams carried on their work.
Xu Jingxia, a member of the Blue Sky Rescue Team from China, who had arranged buses for Chinese rescue teams in Yangon soon after the earthquake, traveled to Mandalay with fellow rescuers on Saturday upon hearing of the storm.
Chinese rescue teams braved the rain to set up tents for local residents, said Xu. "The situation here is still OK — at least everyone is safe. I hope everyone will rest assured."
Yu Birong, a resident in Mandalay who volunteered to work with the Chinese Red Cross International Emergency Response Team after the quake, expressed gratitude that the team had set up tents in the relocation area, which allowed people to stay safe amid Saturday's storm.
Zhu Hongzhan, a member of the Mandalay branch of the Myanmar Yunnan (China) Chamber of Commerce and a volunteer with the Chinese Red Cross response team, said, "The unity and strength of the Chinese people have provided great help and encouragement to everyone, giving us the confidence to overcome this difficult situation."
The Myanmar Department of Meteorology and Hydrology issued a warning for potential heavy rainfall nationwide on Sunday and Monday, advising the public to remain vigilant for extreme weather conditions such as strong winds, thunderstorms and hail.
Chinese rescue and medical teams in Mandalay have also warned local people to be cautious of the risk of the transmission and outbreak of infectious diseases including dengue fever, a mosquito-borne illness.
Xinhua contributed to this story.
