Rescue efforts continued in Myanmar and Thailand on Sunday, as hopes to find living survivors from the major earthquake which rocked both countries two days ago dimmed.
Thai rescue operations continued in the capital, Bangkok, while in war-ravaged Myanmar, residents were leading the search operations in many areas. Aftershocks could still be felt, with one at a magnitude of 5.1 hitting Mandalay on Sunday, the United States Geological Survey said.
Myanmar's neighbors sent relief materials and rescue personnel after the country's ruling junta made a rare plea for help following the devastating quake. Over 1,600 people have been killed with some 3,400 injured, with figures still expected to rise in the aftermath of what has been described as one of the strongest earthquakes to have hit Myanmar in a century.
What are rescue efforts like in Myanmar?
The earthquake struck Myanmar at a very vulnerable time amid an ongoing civil war that has sparked a massive humanitarian crisis since a 2021 military coup overthrew the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. The fighting has displaced over 3 million people, according to UN figures.
The military junta has struggled to deal with the magnitude of the disaster since the Friday earthquake, with many fearing that even if foreign aid makes its way into the country, it would still not reach those in most need.
"All military and civilian hospitals, as well as health care workers, must work together in a coordinated and efficient manner to ensure effective medical response," said the junta chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, according to state-run Media.
But in some of the hardest-hit areas, residents seemed to be at the forefront of rescue efforts, with the Reuters news agency reporting that government assistance was still scarce.
"We have received no aid, and there are no rescue workers in sight," a resident of the town of Sagaing near the quake's epicenter told Reuters.
Aftershocks, shortage of supplies hinder rescue efforts
In Myanmar's second-largest city of Mandalay, residents were still facing aftershocks as they struggled to pull loved ones from under the rubble, amid the absence of heavy equipment.
Small, self-organized resident groups were leading the rescue efforts, Reuters reported.
"We have been approaching collapsed buildings, but some structures remain unstable while we work,” one resident who preferred to remain anonymous told Reuters..
The United Nations warned that a severe lack of medical equipment was hindering the country's response to the earthquake.
The junta's allies Russia and China were among the first to send support on Saturday, with more aid arriving from other countries, including India, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that hospitals in parts of central and northwestern Myanmar were struggling to cope with the number of injured people, including in areas such as Mandalay and Sagaing.
Search for missing ongoing in Thailand
Meanwhile, in Thailand, authorities said the death toll from the quake stood at 17, all in the capital, Bangkok. A high-rise building that collapsed on Friday accounted for the biggest chunk of those deaths, with over 80 still missing.
The 30-story building was under construction when it collapsed, trapping mostly workers under the rubble. Rescue efforts continued on Sunday, with workers using large mechanical diggers, sniffer dogs and thermal imaging drones.
"I was praying that they had survived, but when I got here and saw the ruin _ where could they be?" a sobbing 45-year-old Naruemol Thonglek told The Associated Press news agency. She was waiting for news about her partner, who is from Myanmar, and five friends who worked at the site.
