Myanmar Earthquake: Stench of Corpses Permeates Mandalay, Naypyidaw as Death Toll Surpasses 1,700

Last Updated:March 30, 2025, 18:11 IST

Relief efforts have been hampered by buckled roads, downed bridges, spotty communications and the challenges of operating in a country in the midst of a civil war.

Myanmar experienced a devastating earthquake that has killed 1,700 people so far. (AFP)

Myanmar Earthquake: The death toll from the Friday’s powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has risen to over 1,700, with over 3,400 people injured and many still missing, the country’s ruling junta said on Sunday, according to AFP.

18 deaths have also been confirmed in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, where an under-construction high-rise building collapsed, trapping dozens of workers.

The earthquake hit at midday on Friday, its epicenter in the vicinity of Mandalay, tearing apart structures, smashing highways, and collapsing the control tower at Naypyidaw’s airport—cutting lifelines for a nation already weakened by civil war.

The smell of decaying bodies permeated the streets of Myanmar’s second-largest city on Sunday as grasping hands dug through piles of wreckage, hoping against hope for some sign of life beneath the rubble, reported AP. Two days after the devastating earthquake, the streets of Mandalay were a cemetery—bodies lying rotting in the blinding sun, survivors crying out for dead loved ones, and a nation on the verge of collapse.

Foreign assistance has started to trickle in, but it might be too little, too late. India sent two C-17 military aircraft with a field hospital and 118-membered staff, and China sent 135 rescuers and $13.8 million worth of emergency relief. Russia, Singapore, and Malaysia have also offered assistance, but with roads impassable and airports disabled, getting supplies in has become a logistical nightmare.

Aftershocks Affecting Relief Work

Relief efforts have been hampered by buckled roads, downed bridges, spotty communications and the challenges of operating in a country in the midst of a civil war.

The search for survivors has been primarily conducted by the local residents without the aid of heavy equipment, moving rubble by hand and with shovels in 41-degree Celsius (106 Fahrenheit) heat, with only the occasional tracked excavator to be seen.

Aftershocks, most recently a 5.1 magnitude quake late Sunday afternoon, pushed frantic masses into the streets—only for them to relapse a short while later under the faint prospect of discovering something living.

Victims Share Ordeal

Tea shop owner Win Lwin picked his way through the remains of a collapsed restaurant on a main road in his neighbourhood early on Sunday, tossing bricks aside one by one.

“About seven people died here" when the quake struck, he told AFP. “I’m looking for more bodies but I know there cannot be any survivors."

“It’s a nightmare. The city is destroyed. Dead bodies are all around. We hear screams beneath the wreckage, but we can’t reach them in time," cried Kyaw Min, a resident volunteer, his hands raw and bleeding from digging for hours, reported AP.

At a destroyed Buddhist examination hall in Mandalay, Myanmar and Chinese responders worked to find buried victims on Sunday. San Nwe Aye, sister of a 46-year-old monk missing in the collapsed hall, appeared in deep distress, and told AFP she has heard no news about his status. “I want to hear the sound of him preaching," she said. “The whole village looked up to him."

Appeals For Aid

The UN said that a severe lack of medical equipment is hindering Myanmar’s response to the quake, while aid agencies have warned that the country is unprepared to deal with a disaster of this magnitude.

The Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on Sunday launched an emergency appeal for more than $100 million to help victims.

Some 3.5 million people were displaced by the raging civil war, many at risk of hunger, even before the quake struck.

Myanmar has been reeling under a prolonged civil war, which has already caused a humanitarian crisis. The situation has made it both difficult and dangerous for movement around the country, hindering relief efforts and raising fears of the rise in the death toll.

The military in Myanmar has been involved in a civil war on multiple fronts since it overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government in February 2021.

Indian Army’s Operation Brahma

The Indian Army said that a specialised rescue team from 50 (I) Para Brigade has been deployed to Myanmar under Operation Brahma. India launched this operation on Saturday to provide humanitarian assistance to quake-hit country and dispatched essential items such as medicines and ready-to-eat food, besides other essential material.

The Army said that 118 personnel, including medical and communication units, landed at the Naypyidaw Airport at 11.30 pm (Myanmar time) on Saturday.

“Mandalay, located 160 miles north of the current base, has been identified as the primary area of operations. The team will commence movement towards Mandalay by 1100 hours. While aerial insertion remains a key mode of deployment, parallel road-based induction is also being explored to establish the Operation Theater (OT) at Mandalay in the shortest possible time," the Army said in a statement.

(With inputs from agencies)

Myanmar (Burma)

News world Myanmar Earthquake: Stench of Corpses Permeates Mandalay, Naypyidaw as Death Toll Surpasses 1,700