Myanmar quake: SMART focuses on rescuing victims in places of worship

KUALA LUMPUR: The Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) is focusing its efforts on locating victims trapped in places of worship affected by the earthquake disaster in Myanmar’s Sagaing district.

In a statement, the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) said the search and rescue (SAR) operation by the team was activated at three locations in the district, specifically Moe Gya Mosque, Nyoo Ma Mosque and Nyat Private School, with local residents estimating that 20 victims remained trapped.

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“The MAS-01 (Malaysian Humanitarian Aid Mission) team focused on critical facilities such as mosques, temples, schools and hospitals,” it said.

Monday (March 31) marked the second day of the team’s deployment to carry out humanitarian missions and assist in SAR operations for earthquake victims in the country, after they arrived at Nay Pyi Taw International Airport the previous afternoon (Myanmar time).

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The team, comprising 50 members, then embarked on a 270km overland journey that took 24 hours, passing through 10 security checkpoints before arriving in the Sagaing region at 4am (Myanmar time) and establishing a Base of Operations (BoO) at the Sagaing Anniversary Football Pitch.

The statement said the SMART operation in the country faced security issues, including reports of conflict areas still being bombed by the Myanmar military and the risk of landmines around Sagaing, especially near temples.

“Aftershocks were still frequently occurring with magnitudes between 3 and 5.1, posing a risk of subsequent collapses of unstable buildings, endangering the MAS-01 team,” said the statement.

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Nadma said the SMART team also faced logistical issues such as fuel supply for vehicles and equipment like generators, but Malawakil (Malaysian missions abroad) helped identify petrol stations that could supply the team.

The statement said the forecast of hot weather with temperatures between 38°C and 41°C made it difficult for humanitarian aid missions and SAR operations, especially during midday.

“The disaster period has surpassed the critical 72-hour mark. Based on the rubble and environmental conditions, the likelihood of finding and rescuing survivors trapped under the debris is decreasing.

“The lack of basic supplies for the survivors increases the threat level for disaster victims in the affected areas,” according to the statement.

On Friday (March 28), an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 struck Myanmar, with Mandalay, Bago, Magway, northeastern Shan State, Sagaing, and Naypyidaw among the most severely affected areas. The death toll in Myanmar is nearly 1,700, with about 3,000 injured and hundreds still missing. The earthquake also impacted neighbouring Thailand and parts of China. – Bernama