In several days, parents in the city of Kyaukse have been calling out for their children who were at the preschool when the big earthquake occurred. The building collapsed. A few days after the quake, it is quiet at the site, reports BBC.
According to the preschool, 12 children and one teacher died, but according to the residents, at least 40 people died – as many as were on the lower floor that collapsed.
200 Buddhist monks are feared to have died when their monastery collapsed, and 700 people died while praying in mosques during Friday prayers. It is unclear if they are included in the official death toll.
On Tuesday, a 63-year-old woman was pulled alive from the rubble in the capital Naypyitaw – 91 hours after the quake, according to the rescue service via AP. But the hope of finding more survivors is decreasing with every minute that passes.
Silent minute
At 12:51:02 on Tuesday – exactly four days after the quake occurred on Friday – the rescue work paused at the military junta's request for a silent minute. Flags will be flown at half-mast on public buildings until Sunday.
The shallow earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 occurred near Myanmar's second-largest city Mandalay with 1.7 million inhabitants. Roads cracked and hundreds of buildings collapsed.
Many residents have spent a fourth night outdoors, either because their homes have been destroyed or because they are afraid of further aftershocks.
I don't feel safe. There are six- or seven-story buildings near my house that are leaning and can collapse at any time, says Soe Tint to AFP.
Some who sleep outdoors have tents, but many – including children – have slept on blankets in the middle of the road to keep as far away as possible from damaged buildings.
Relief efforts are being hindered by power outages, fuel shortages, and partly very poor communication opportunities in the junta-ruled and conflict-ridden Myanmar.
More areas
2,719 people have been confirmed dead in the quake, according to reports from Chinese state-owned CCTV. More than 4,500 have been injured and 400 are still missing.
The statistics are expected to worsen as rescue workers manage to reach areas where communication opportunities were destroyed in the quake.
The UN demands unhindered access for relief efforts.
Even before this earthquake, nearly 20 million people in Myanmar were in need of humanitarian aid, says Marcoluigi Corsi at the UN via AP.
According to the World Health Organization WHO, there are reports of three destroyed hospitals and 22 that were partially damaged.
In neighboring Thailand, at least 20 people have died, most of them when a 30-story high skyscraper under construction collapsed in northern Bangkok.
