This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.
Junta airstrikes continued to hamper rescue workers and aid agencies trying to help the survivors of last week’s massive Myanmar earthquake.
Adding to the humanitarian crisis caused by a civil war, civilians displaced by Friday’s magnitude 7.7 quake that killed more than 2,700 people are now forced to shelter from bombs as well.
“From the date of the earthquake, March 28, to yesterday, we’ve found that the military has launched aerial attacks eight times. Even today in the Magway area, we’ve seen them bombing again,” said Moe Htet Nay, an advisor at Nyan Lin Thit Research Group, which monitors the conflict.
Junta forces have bombed Shan state’s Nawnghkio township three times, Kachin state’s Bhamo township twice, Phyu township in Bago region, Pauk township in Magway region and Demoso township in Kayah state once each, he said Tuesday.
Nine people were killed in the post-quake attacks, with seven injured nationwide, according to groups fighting the military government that seized power from elected civilians in a February 2021 coup.
Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing said Tuesday the earthquake death toll has risen to 2,719 and is likely to exceed 3,000. Some 4,521 people were injured and 441 missing, he said on television.
Friday’s earthquake was centered near Mandalay in the middle of the country and caused severe destruction in Sagaing, Magway, Bago, Naypyidaw, Shan state and eastern Taungoo. It also rocked Thailand and other parts of the region.
The junta declared a state of emergency in all the affected regions. The ousted National Unity Government and Myanmar residents said the decree has hampered rescue efforts due to a 10 p.m. curfew in many areas where civilian teams are searching for survivors.
Human Rights Watch on Tuesday called on the junta to “allow immediate unfettered access to humanitarian aid for earthquake survivors.”
It said Myanmar’s military rulers should lift restrictions including curfews, registration of rescue workers and internet blackouts that are slowing the emergency response.
“Myanmar’s military junta still invokes fear, even in the wake of a horrific natural disaster that killed and injured thousands,” said Bryony Lau, the group’s deputy Asia director.
“The junta needs to break from its appalling past practice and ensure that humanitarian aid quickly reaches those whose lives are at risk in earthquake-affected areas,” she said.
Citing a rescue worker in the Sagaing region, Human Rights Watch said the number of bodies for volunteers to cremate is piling up.
“Even if they cremate a body every three minutes, they would have to work around the clock,” the rescuer said, according to HRW.
“Myanmar’s junta cannot be trusted to respond to a disaster of this scale,” said Lau. “Concerned governments and international agencies need to press the junta to allow full and immediate access to survivors wherever they are.”
Hopes fade at site of Bangkok building collapse
At the site of a Bangkok office tower toppled by the quake, hopes were fading for the dozens of construction workers – many of them from Myanmar – buried in the rubble of the government building.
A scan of the site indicated more than 70 people still beneath the concrete and tangled steel wreckage of the state audit office near the famous Chatuchak market, Bangkok Deputy Governor Tavida Kamolvej said Tuesday. The confirmed death toll from the office collapse is 13.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has ordered an investigation into the building collapse, with some findings expected later this week. She also ordered eight government ministries to remedy their slow response to the quake’s aftermath.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittiput ordered inspections of all high-rise buildings in the capital to allay the concerns of greater Bangkok’s 17 million residents.
The governor on Monday rescinded the administration’s designation of the city as a disaster zone, which had enhanced the powers of the emergency services.
“The impact on the public, the damage to basic infrastructure, transportation routes, and assistance in various sectors have been continuously addressed,” he said in a statement.
“Additionally, the living conditions of most residents have returned to normal.”
Amid reports of mass cancellations of hotel bookings, tourism minister Sorawong Thienthong held an emergency meeting with industry representatives and the tourism council.
He said no visitors had been harmed, hotels had passed safety inspections and tourist police were monitoring key sites.
