WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR: M.J. GDNUS
The death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck Myanmar yesterday has risen to more than a thousand, as rescuers desperately search the rubble of collapsed buildings in search of survivors.
The head of the Myanmar army has declared a state of emergency and asked anyone who can help to come forward. The UN is already in contact with the authorities.
According to USGS, the epicenter was about 17.2 kilometers from the city of Mandalay, which has a population of about 1.2 million. About 12 minutes after the first earthquake, a subsequent earthquake of magnitude 6.4 hit the area.
Death toll in Myanmar rises to 1,644
According to the Myanmar military leadership, the death toll has risen to 1,644, while the number of injured has risen to 3,408. Another 139 people are listed as missing.
The bodies of nine people have been pulled from the rubble of the Sky Villa building in Mandalay, the fire department announced.
"Search and rescue operations are underway," the fire department said in a statement.
People are using their bare hands to reach those trapped under the rubble
Survivors of the devastating earthquake are using their bare hands to dig out those still trapped under the rubble, facing a severe shortage of heavy machinery, CNN reports.
The country is poorly equipped for such natural disasters - it has been hit by a bloody civil war since 2021 that has destroyed infrastructure and forced millions of people to be internally displaced.
"There is too much rubble and no rescue teams have reached us," Htet Min, 25, from Mandalay, one of the hardest-hit cities, told Reuters. He described how some members of his extended family were still trapped under the collapsed building, although he tried to reach them himself by digging with his hands.
