Myanmar earthquake: 7 days later, wife still calls out husband’s name near rubble
More than a week has passed since the devastating earthquake in Myanmar. Honin still spends sleepless nights searching for her husband and two children. She goes to the building where her family members are buried in the devastated city of Mandalay and calls out her husband’s name. If there is any response, she says, her tears have dried up while crying for her family members.
A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on March 28. Mandalay, Sagaing and the capital Naypyidaw were the worst affected. The country’s ruling junta government said on Saturday that 3,354 people have been killed in the earthquake so far. The number is rising every day. 4,850 people have been injured. 220 people are still missing. Among them are Honin’s husband and children. The residents of the cities affected by the earthquake are in a similar situation like Honin. They are still living in the open air due to the collapse of their houses and the fear of another earthquake. Many are suffering from heatstroke in the intense heat. A foul smell is rising from the bodies buried under the rubble of buildings. Many are unable to use toilets. This is spreading skin diseases.
The earthquake in Myanmar has caused extensive damage to houses, schools, hospitals, mosques and temples, as well as government buildings. The Supreme Court building in Naypyidaw has collapsed. A government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that most of those who died in the earthquake were family members of government employees – their wives, children and parents.
The government has not disclosed the extent of damage to Myanmar’s military installations in the earthquake. However, Ye Myo Hein, a researcher at the Wilson Center, a Washington-based think tank, believes that the earthquake has caused a major morale blow to the junta’s forces. According to him, many soldiers are unable to find their family members due to the collapse of the communication system. They are facing this problem not only in Naypyidaw, but in all areas of Myanmar devastated by the earthquake.
Concerns over reconstruction of devastated areas
According to the United Nations, 28 million people live in the areas of Myanmar affected by the earthquake. At least 10,000 buildings have collapsed in these areas. Many experts say that many cities affected by the earthquake will have to be completely demolished and rebuilt. This will require a huge amount of money.
In 2021, the junta government seized power in Myanmar by overthrowing the elected government. Since then, the country has been in a civil war. Even after the earthquake, airstrikes are being carried out on anti-junta rebels. Since the start of the violence in Myanmar, the country has been isolated from foreign aid. They are not even able to disburse money from the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank. Myanmar earthquake: 7 days
