Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Hits 3,300
Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The death toll from the Myanmar 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit 3,300 today. Accordingly, with Mandalay being near the epicenter, the loss of life is still likely to increase further.
Myanmar is already bedevilled by a brutal civil war. This relates to an array of ethnic, political, and religious militias that blight Myanmar.
CNN reports, “The earthquake caused widespread destruction in nearby Mandalay, home to around 1.5 million people, and the military capital Naypyidaw. It was also felt in neighboring Thailand and China.”
Myanmar is being assisted on the ground by China, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, and Singapore. This concerns rescue missions and other essential areas.
AP News reports, “A report issued Thursday by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that the earthquake and aftershocks have affected more than 17 million people across 57 of the country’s 330 townships, including more than 9 million who were severely affected.”
The economic angle is bound to increase pressure on the military junta in Myanmar. Hence, with many urban centers needing complete reconstruction, it appears uncertain how the ruling elites can finance the convulsions of this earthquake.
A military truce is needed during this devastating period. If so, Myanmar can utilize the armed forces to help in ongoing rescue missions.
Francesca Capoluongo (International Federation of the Red Cross in Myanmar) said, “The initial estimates suggest that over 18 million people live within the earthquake impacted area, so of course we can expect these figures to keep increasing.”
Capoluongo continued, “The search and rescue is still ongoing. It’s very difficult now to validate any figure, and we know that it will continue to increase and (that) many of these eighteen million people are now without safe shelter, access to clean water, reliable health care.”
The Guardian reports, “In Sagaing, the epicentre of the quake, the stench is becoming unbearable as a country wracked by civil war bears the burden of burying thousands killed in (last) Friday’s disaster.”
The death toll looks set to increase further.
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