Islamabad, April 01: Rescue teams successfully freed a woman trapped beneath the debris of a collapsed hotel in Myanmar, offering a rare moment of hope amid the devastation caused by a powerful earthquake that has claimed nearly 2,000 lives.
Officials confirmed on Monday that search operations in Myanmar and Thailand continue in a desperate race against time to locate more survivors.
According to a post by Chinese authorities on Facebook, the woman was rescued from the wreckage of the Great Wall Hotel in Mandalay, a city close to the epicenter of Friday’s 7.7-magnitude quake.
The tremor caused widespread destruction across Myanmar and inflicted damage in neighboring Thailand.
In Bangkok, Thai emergency crews resumed efforts to locate 76 individuals feared trapped beneath the ruins of an under-construction skyscraper that collapsed.
With nearly three days passing since the disaster, concerns are mounting that the death toll—already at 18 in Thailand as of Sunday—will rise further.
Meanwhile, Myanmar’s state media reported at least 1,700 confirmed fatalities, though The Wall Street Journal suggested the death toll had surpassed 2,000.
Reuters has not independently verified this figure.
The woman rescued from the Great Wall Hotel was carried to safety approximately 60 hours after the earthquake, according to a statement from the Chinese embassy in Myanmar.
Officials confirmed she was in stable condition.
The United Nations announced an urgent relief operation to assist approximately 23,000 survivors in central Myanmar.
“Our teams in Mandalay are working tirelessly to ramp up the humanitarian response despite facing the trauma themselves,” said Noriko Takagi, the UN refugee agency’s representative in Myanmar. “Time is critical, and Myanmar needs global solidarity and support to overcome this immense devastation.”
Myanmar has received aid from several neighboring countries, including India, China, and Thailand, along with relief teams and supplies from Malaysia, Singapore, and Russia.
The United States has pledged $2 million in humanitarian assistance through Myanmar-based organizations.
In a statement, the US confirmed that an emergency response team from USAID—currently facing significant budget cuts—is being deployed to Myanmar.
Earthquake Compounds Myanmar’s Existing Crisis
The earthquake has exacerbated the suffering of Myanmar’s population, which has been struggling under the weight of an ongoing civil war.
The conflict erupted after the 2021 military coup that removed the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Reports from one rebel group suggest that, despite the disaster, the military continues to carry out airstrikes on villages.
Singapore’s foreign minister has urged an immediate ceasefire to allow relief operations to proceed without hindrance.
Critical infrastructure, including highways, bridges, railways, and airports, has sustained severe damage, further complicating humanitarian aid efforts.
With Myanmar’s economy already battered, its health system weakened, and over 3.5 million people displaced due to conflict, the earthquake has deepened the nation’s crisis.
