China, Thailand, India, and the United States have sent aid teams and supplies to Myanmar as international assistance gained momentum following a massive earthquake that destroyed large parts of the impoverished Southeast Asian nation on March 28, causing unprecedented destruction.
At least 1,600 people were killed and 3,400 injured in Friday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake, one of the strongest to hit Myanmar in a century, according to its military government. "All military and civilian hospitals, as well as health service workers, must work together in a coordinated and efficient manner to ensure an effective medical response," head of the junta, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, said, according to state-run media.
Civilian satellite imaging company Maxar released a series of satellite images from the city of Mandalay, showing the massive destruction of the urban landscape. The images show completely destroyed temples, tin shack neighborhoods that were "wiped out" by the quake, the collapsed bridge over the Irrawaddy River, and other prominent buildings that were destroyed or partially damaged.
Rescue teams in the country are suffering from a severe shortage of heavy engineering equipment and medical supplies and are forced to work with bare hands to rescue people trapped in collapsed buildings. The extreme heat prevailing in the country poses a real risk to the lives of those trapped, and the chance of finding people among the ruins diminishes as the hours pass.
