1700 deaths, thousands still buried under debris, Myanmar smell of death in air

The 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar on Friday has shook the entire country. This natural disaster not only converted Mandalay, the second largest city of Myanmar, into a pile of debris, but also caused heavy havoc in the capital Nepyido and the surrounding areas. By Sunday, by 30 March 2025, the death toll has reached 1,644, while 3,408 people have been injured and 139 are still missing. However, many other agencies have expressed the possibility of increasing death figures. On the streets of Mandalay, the bad bodies are now spreading foul smell, and the screams of the people trapped in the debris are gradually weakening. Relief and rescue operations are in full swing, but damaged roads, collapsed bridges and interruptions of communication system are becoming a big challenge in these efforts.

The destruction of destruction everywhere

On Friday afternoon, Mandalay had the center of the earthquake, whose intensity affected not only Myanmar, but also Bangkok, the capital of the neighboring country Thailand. In Mandalay, multi -storey buildings collapsed, religious places like pagoda and monastery turned into debris. Many buildings collapsed in Nepyido too. The foul smell of bodies is now spreading on the streets of Mandalay so much that local people and volunteers are removing debris with their hands to find their loved ones. A local resident said that there is a smell of death everywhere. We do not know whether we are alive or died.

The effect of this earthquake reached Bangkok, 1,300 km away, where an under -construction multi -storey building collapsed, killing 18 people and 78 are still missing. The number of dead in Thailand has increased to 18, and the rescue teams are also trying to remove the people from the debris there too. The entire city has been destroyed there in Myanmar, which was the center of the earthquake. A local resident Han said, “We do not have electricity, drinking water is ending, and government assistance has not reached yet.”

Challenges are coming in relief and rescue operations

Two days after the earthquake, emergency rescue teams started reaching the most affected areas of Myanmar on Sunday, but the situation is very difficult. The ongoing civil war, damaged roads, collapsed bridges and lack of communication system in the country are becoming a major obstacle in relief operations. A report on Saturday by the United Nations said that many health facilities have been destroyed, and medical supply such as trauma kits, blood bags, and a huge shortage of medicines.

Countries like China, India, Russia, and Malaysia have sent relief material and rescue teams. China has announced a assistance of $ 13.8 million with over 135 rescuers, while India has sent 137 tonnes of relief materials through two military aircraft and four naval ships. Russia has also deployed 120 rescuers in Yangon. In Mandalay, a Chinese rescue team evacuated a woman trapped in the rubble for 60 hours, who emerged as a small ray of expectation in this disaster.

Myanmar is already facing crisis

Myanmar is already facing civil war after the 2021 military coup, which has collapsed the country’s economy and health system. This earthquake has made the situation more serious. The Opposition National Unity Government (NUG) has accused the military government that it is carrying out airstrikes in the sagging area even in the midst of disaster, which is making relief work more difficult. Nug has announced a partial ceasefire for relief efforts, but no such response has come from the military government.