Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 1,700; Rotting Corpses Spread Stench in Mandalay

Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 1,700: The count of official dead people in Myanmar, where a massive earthquake hit with a mighty 7.7 magnitude on Friday (March 28), surged to 1,700 on Sunday as very poorly equipped rescuers keep dragging bodies from under the rubble in ruined cities. Authorities are forced to clear debris by hand because they are racing against the possibility of finding survivors in the civil war-torn nation, report media queries.

The junta of Myanmar in a statement on the afternoon of Sunday said that around 3,400 people are injured and other 300 are reported missing.

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Thousands of buildings collapsed in the epicenter, Mandalay, along with bridges and essential communication lines being destroyed.

The AP reports that hundreds of bodies may still be trapped beneath the rubble, with their owners' chances of survival fading with every passing minute.

A corollary to this would be the heavy stench of rotting corpses in the air and, sure enough, the death toll is going to increase sharply once the whole city is cleared over the next weeks or months.

Overwhelmed Hospitals

Poorly managed hospitals are under great shortage of staff, medicines and supplies during which time staggering loss of lives leaves behind them.

According to the manager of Catholic Relief Services based at Yangon, Ms. Cara Bragg, hospitals are not fit for this pressure.

“It’s mainly been local volunteers, local people who are just trying to find their loved ones. I’ve also seen reports that now some countries are sending search and rescue teams up to Mandalay to support the efforts, but hospitals are struggling to cope with the influx of injured people, there’s a shortage of medical supplies, and people are struggling to find food and clean water,” she said.

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Some foreign aid has already begun pouring in, especially from the big neighbours India and China. On Saturday two Indian C-17 military transport aircraft flew into Naypitaw airport, bringing with them a field hospital unit and some 120 personnel who were then to travel north to Mandalay to establish a 60-bed emergency treatment centre.

Focus on Mandalay and Naypyitaw

Most of these aid-related activities are said to be concentrated around the epicenter Mandalay and the capital city Naypyitaw. Not much information as such is available from other areas, as per Cara Bragg.

“We’re hearing reports of hundreds of people trapped in different areas,” said Bragg. “Right now we’re at 1,600 (known fatalities) and we don’t have a lot of data coming out but you’ve got to assume it will be increasing in the thousands based on what the impacts are. This is just anecdotal information at this point.”

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