Death Toll Crossed 2000 In Earthquake Devastated Myanmar, Many Missing

The massive earthquake in Myanmar last week has led the death toll to cross 2000, as per state media reported.

In yet another depressing incident, 200 Buddhist monks crushed by a collapsing monastery, while 50 children were killed when a preschool classroom crumbled, and 700 Muslims struck when offering prayer at mosques for Ramadan.

The 7.7 magnitude quake hit last Friday, epicentered near Myanmar's second-largest city of Mandalay. The quake brought damages to city's airport as well as buckling roads and collapsing hundreds of buildings along a vast swath of the country.

Arduous Relief Efforts in the Civil War Hit Country

The aftermath of the earthquake is feared to further exacerbate hunger and disease outbreaks as Myanmar has been grappling under humanitarian crisis due to the civil war.

Relief efforts become challenging due to power outages, fuel shortages and poor communications. A lack of heavy machinery has slowed search-and-rescue operations, which has compelled many to search for survivors by hand amidst sweltering heat with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius.

 As per reports of Myanmar state news agency MRTV, the leader of the military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, apprised Pakistan's prime minister during a call that 2,065 people were killed, with more than 3,900 injured and about 270 missing.

The United Nations' Myanmar country team has appealed for unobstructed access for aid teams. “Even before this earthquake, nearly 20 million people in Myanmar were in need of humanitarian assistance,” Marcoluigi Corsi, the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator, was quoted as saying in the media.

Full Extent Of Devastation Not Clear?

Is the full extent of the devastation clear? It may not be. Lauren Ellery, deputy director of programs in Myanmar for the International Rescue Committee, was quoted in media as saying—“We're really not clear on the scale of the destruction at this stage. They were talking about a town near Mandalay where 80 per cent of the buildings were reportedly collapsed, but it wasn't in the news because telecommunications have been slow

 According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) said it has reports of three hospitals destroyed and 22 partially damaged in the region.

“There is an urgent need for trauma and surgical care, blood transfusion supplies, anesthetics, essential medicines and mental health support,” WHO said in a statement.

What Does AI Say?

On the other hand, an artificial intelligence (AI) analysis done from satellite images of Mandalay by Microsoft's AI for Good Lab showed that 515 buildings suffered  80% to 100% damage and another 1,524 with 20% to 80% per cent damage.