Sagaing Township, the epicenter of Friday’s 7.7 earthquake, faces enormous challenges that hamper rescue efforts at every turn.
The devastation is staggering, with approximately 80 percent of the buildings in Sagaing city’s urban area reduced to rubble and the smell of decomposing bodies pervasive throughout the town.
To date, approximately 200 bodies have been recovered from the ruins, some 100 of them being Muslim worshippers who died in the collapse of the Moe Kya, Myo Ma, and Myo Taw mosques.
One of the hardest-hit sites is Myat Private High School, where rescue efforts have been particularly difficult. Four bodies—those of the principal and three students—remain trapped under debris, with a strong odor of decomposition emanating from the site.
Another is Lay Kyun Myay Oak Kyaung Monastery, where six children were rescued from the rubble but dozens more remain trapped.
Locals fear for their survival. “The children were attending a summer Dhamma school in the monastery when the building collapsed,” a resident said. “The chance of survival is very low, and we can no longer hear their voices.”
Though rescue teams continue to search for survivors, they are held back by the lack of specialized equipment. Many of the buildings that collapsed were high-rise structures, and extracting victims from the upper floors has proven especially difficult.
Among the victims was Daw Zanaka Marlini, a prominent nun from Thakya Dhitar Nunnery, who perished when the structure in Nan Oo Myo Thit ward collapsed. Dr. May San Pwint, the daughter of a former military intelligence officer, also lost her life in the quake.
The situation is compounded by ongoing interference from the military. Rescue teams from neighboring regions like Monywa and Shwebo have reportedly been obstructed by junta-aligned Pyu Saw Htee militia and military troops, who have imposed tight restrictions on the flow of aid.
Teams are interrogated, and permission for operations seems to be systematically stalled.
While the people of Sagaing desperately await aid, survivors, particularly those with severe injuries, are in urgent need of food, clean water, and medical supplies.
Volunteer groups like Clean Yangon, which has been active in liberated areas since the coup, have called for immediate support.
“People need food more than money. Most shops are gone, and there is a dire shortage of medical supplies and sanitary products,” they wrote on social media.
Despite being at the epicenter of the earthquake, Sagaing Township has received far less aid and support than other affected regions like Mandalay and Naypyitaw.
A Malaysian rescue team was the first international aid group to arrive in Sagaing on Sunday evening.
Divided into two groups, the Malaysians are working alongside local teams at Myat Private High School and Lay Kyun Myay Oak Kyaung Monastery.
“They are the first international team here, bringing vital machinery and equipment,” a rescue team leader said.
The junta has put the official death toll at 1,700 people, but the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that it could top 10,000.
