Rescue hopes dimmed on Monday in Mandalay as exhausted workers continued searching for survivors amid sweltering heat, three days after a devastating earthquake killed at least 1,700 people across Myanmar and Thailand.
In Myanmar’s second-largest city, where temperatures neared 40°C (104°F), rescue operations slowed due to extreme conditions and the rapid decomposition of bodies, complicating identification efforts. Some residents spent a third night sleeping outdoors, fearing aftershocks.
A tragic scene unfolded at a collapsed apartment block on Sunday when rescuers amputated a pregnant woman’s leg to free her after 55 hours under the rubble. Despite their efforts, she succumbed to blood loss. “We tried everything to save her,” a medical responder said.
Meanwhile, hundreds of funerals were expected on Monday, coinciding with Eid al-Fitr prayers at a destroyed mosque in the city.
The powerful 7.7-magnitude quake struck near Mandalay on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock. It triggered widespread destruction, collapsing buildings, toppling bridges, and leaving roads impassable. More tremors over the weekend sparked brief waves of panic among residents.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has launched an emergency appeal for over $100 million, warning that rising temperatures and the approaching monsoon season could worsen the crisis.
Myanmar was already grappling with the effects of a brutal civil war following a 2021 military coup, with 3.5 million people displaced before the disaster. Reports indicate that fighting continued despite the quake, with a rebel group claiming seven of its fighters were killed in an airstrike shortly after the tremors hit.
In Bangkok, around 1,000 kilometres from Mandalay, rescue operations continued at a collapsed high-rise under construction when the quake struck. At least 18 people have died, with 33 injured and 78 still missing, city authorities reported.
Most of the missing are believed to be trapped beneath the rubble of the collapsed tower. Rescuers, aided by sniffer dogs and thermal imaging drones, raced to locate survivors as distressed families waited nearby.
