Myanmar Earthquake: Embattled Nation Reels Under 1.25 Lakh Truckloads of Rubble
Two weeks after a powerful earthquake ravaged Myanmar, the Southeast Asian country continues to reel under the havoc wreaked by the disaster.
Even as the nation was beginning to limp back to normalcy, a 5.5-magnitude aftershock struck Meiktila, a city in the Mandalay region, on Sunday (April 13), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The epicenter was located between Mandalay—Myanmar’s second-largest city—and the capital, Naypyitaw. Both cities had already been affected by the March 28 earthquake, which killed over 3,600 people and injured more than 5,000. So far, there have been no reports of new casualties from the aftershock.
According to the United Nations, the devastation is so extensive that, even after two weeks, the country is still battling to clear the rubble. Reports estimate that around 1.25 lakh (125,000) truckloads of debris remain in the affected cities.
The earthquake has struck at a time when the country is already grappling with a civil war, a military government, and the large-scale displacement of over three million people.
The UN has warned that the devastation will only worsen the existing humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.
As part of Operation Brahma, India has extended relief to the embattled nation, following its rare request for support. The Indian government has sent humanitarian aid. Additionally, the Indian Army has been providing critical relief in its Field Hospital in Mandalay, the country's worst-hit city.
As of April 9, a total of 1,651 patients have been treated at the Army Field Hospital, with 281 patients receiving treatment on that day alone, as per a release by the Army.
