Myanmar Earthquake: Recovery Slowed by Aftershocks, Resource Shortages Amidst Existing Humanitarian Crisis

Key Developments

• Three weeks after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake near Mandalay, basic services remain unrestored in the worst-hit areas.
• Emergency workers face challenges from aftershocks and limited resources.
• The earthquake damaged 65,096 houses and buildings, 2,514 schools, 4,317 Buddhist monasterial living quarters, 6,027 pagodas and temples, 350 hospitals and clinics, 170 bridges, 586 dams, and 203 sections of the country’s main highway.
• The death toll is reported by state media as 3,726, with 5,105 injured and 129 missing.
• The United Nations Development Program estimates 2.5 million tons of debris require removal.
• The earthquake exacerbated an existing humanitarian crisis from civil war, which had already displaced over 3 million people and left nearly 20 million in need.
• 1,975 international rescuers and medical workers from 25 countries collaborated with local rescuers, saving 653 people and recovering 753 bodies.
• UN-Habitat and the Myanmar Engineering Society are assessing building damage.
• In Naypyitaw, most rescuers have ceased efforts, and damaged government buildings are unrepaired.
• The number of rescue teams in Mandalay has decreased as most international teams departed.
• Rescue workers are conducting relief, search, and debris clearing operations and returning valuables found in rubble.
• Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, head of the military government, stated the urban layout of Naypyitaw will be redesigned post-earthquake.
• The earthquake caused significant damage in six regions and states, including Naypyitaw and near Mandalay.
• Aftershocks and lack of resources hinder recovery work three weeks after the earthquake near Mandalay, Myanmar.
• Basic services have not been restored in the worst-hit areas.
• Emergency workers face challenges from aftershocks and limited resources.
• The earthquake caused significant damage in six regions and states, including the capital, Naypyitaw.
• The earthquake damaged 65,096 houses and buildings, 2,514 schools, 4,317 Buddhist monasterial living quarters, 6,027 pagodas and temples, 350 hospitals and clinics, 170 bridges, 586 dams, and 203 sections of the country’s main highway.
• The death toll from the earthquake in Myanmar reached 3,726, with 5,105 injured and 129 missing, according to state media.
• The United Nations Development Program estimated that at least 2.5 million tons of debris need to be removed after the earthquake in Myanmar.
• The earthquake in Myanmar worsened an existing humanitarian crisis caused by the civil war, which had already displaced over 3 million people and left nearly 20 million in need.
• 1,975 international rescuers and medical workers from 25 countries collaborated with local rescuers in Myanmar after the earthquake, saving 653 people and recovering 753 bodies.
• The number of rescue teams operating in Mandalay, Myanmar, has decreased as most international teams have returned after completing their search for survivors.
• UN-Habitat and the Myanmar Engineering Society are collaborating to assess widespread building damage in earthquake-affected regions.
• Rescue workers in Myanmar are carrying out relief, search, and debris clearing operations, and have returned valuables found among the rubble to their owners.
• In Naypyitaw, Myanmar, almost all rescuers have ceased relief efforts, and damaged government buildings have not been repaired.
• Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, head of the military government in Myanmar, stated that the urban layout of Naypyitaw will be redesigned after the earthquake.

Key Actors

Analysis & Perspectives