Myanmar Earthquake: Watch - Rescuers Cheer as Woman Pulled Alive from Rubble

Rescuers freed a woman from the ruins of a hotel in Myanmar in a glimmer of hope three days after a massive earthquake that killed around 2,000 as searchers in Myanmar and Thailand raced against time to find more survivors.

The woman was pulled from the rubble of the Great Wall Hotel in the city of Mandalay. Mandalay is near the epicentre of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake on Friday that wreaked mass devastation in Myanmar and damage in neighbouring Thailand.
 

In Bangkok, Thailand's capital, emergency crews on Monday resumed a desperate search for 76 people believed buried under the rubble of an under-construction skyscraper that collapsed.

After nearly three days, fears were growing that the rescuers would find more dead bodies, which could sharply raise Thailand's death toll that stood at 18 on Sunday.

In Myanmar, state media said at least 1,700 people have been confirmed dead. The Wall Street Journal reported the death toll had reached 2,028 in Myanmar. Reuters could not immediately confirm the new death toll.

A rescue team carried a woman out of the rubble of the Great Wall Hotel in Mandalay nearly 60 hours after the quake hit, the Chinese embassy in Myanmar said in a Facebook post, adding she was reported to be in a stable condition.The United Nations said it was rushing relief supplies to estimated 23,000 quake-hit survivors in central Myanmar.

Also Read: How Myanmar’s Civil War Is Making Earthquake Relief Even Harder

"Our teams in Mandalay are joining efforts to scale up the humanitarian response despite going through the trauma themselves," said Noriko Takagi, the U.N. refugee agency's representative in Myanmar. "Time is of the essence as Myanmar needs global solidarity and support through this immense devastation."

An initial report on earthquake relief efforts issued Saturday by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted the severe damage or destruction of many health facilities, and warned that a “severe shortage of medical supplies is hampering response efforts, including trauma kits, blood bags, anesthetics, assistive devices, essential medicines, and tents for health workers.”

India's Operation Brahma:

The Indian Army, in collaboration with NDRF and medical teams, has commenced ground movement of remaining personnel and relief assets towards Mandalay. A total of 110 personnel from the Indian Army’s Field Hospital and 13 NDRF personnel, along with essential equipment and medical supplies, are currently enroute to Mandalay using 15 military trucks of the Myanmar Army, 3 buses, and 7 vehicles from the NDRF and Indian contingent.

The convoy is being escorted by Myanmar Army vehicles and is expected to reach Mandalay by 2:00 PM (MST).

Earlier, yesterday 10 Indian Army Field Hospital personnel, along with NDRF members, DCM, and DA, had arrived in Mandalay via MAF aircraft and conducted detailed coordination with Myanmar authorities including the Chief Minister of Mandalay Division and Lt Gen Myo Moe Aung, the lead coordinator for humanitarian work.