A deadly earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 recently struck Myanmar on March 28. The earthquake took place in the town of Sagaing, near Myanmar’s second-largest city called Mandalay. Its large-scale impact spread over to nearby countries, including Thailand and southeast China.
With the severe damage done not only to its nearby countries but also to its own nation, over 3,000 deaths and 4,500 injuries have been reported. Casualties were estimated to be over 10,000 by the end of the catastrophe.
Even after the main strike of the earthquake hit, consecutive earthquakes with weaker magnitudes continued striking the country. Survivors of the earthquake near the area of impact queued for basic necessities like food and water. The aftershock of the catastrophe forced the survivors to sleep in scorching hot weather that reached up to 37 degrees Celsius.
Despite the damages caused by the catastrophic event yet to be repaired, the subtle signs of recovery soothed the anxiety of the citizens. People who were near the strike at the time expressed worries about the impact they could have faced.
“While I was in Vietnam for the Habitat for Humanity (HFH) community service trip, my mom contacted me to ask if I was okay because she heard about the Myanmar earthquake,” Brennan Park (9), member of the Vietnam service trip for HFH, said. “After hearing this news, I was left worried because I was in a neighboring country. Even though we weren’t directly affected, it was still scary to think about how close we were.”
Citizens from other countries also chimed in on the issue, expressing their condolences and mourning the disaster.
“I was shocked to hear about the massive earthquake hitting Myanmar as I visited the country a few times while I used to live in Malaysia,” Alex Ko (10), a former resident of Malaysia, said. “I grew close to the country because of the occasional visits I had back when I stayed in Malaysia, so the news hit me quite deeply. I hope the impacted citizens can have a speedy recovery, and I wish for the best for the nation’s future.”
Efforts attempting to rescue any remaining survivors of the disaster were shown spanning across numerous countries in Asia, fortunately; few rescuers were reportedly at the scene, trying to help with the critical loss caused by the natural disaster. Other corporations, including the Red Cross and the UN, joined in on the action by advocating for an appeal of $100 million and $8 million for the impact of the earthquake, respectively.
The global rescue efforts aiming to reduce the earthquake’s damage garnered praise from bystanders who acknowledged the bravery of people and other corporations who cooperated to improve Myanmar’s state.
“I appreciate the coordinated hard work and effort gathered by multiple nations and organizations to collectively help reduce the burden set on citizens of Myanmar,” Joseph Kang (10), frequent news watcher, said. “I respect their bravery and courage in trying to resolve the issue, as it definitely is not an easy job to take part in another nation’s problem and help them get out of their emotional struggles and turmoil. The attention and care shown by major corporations is amazing, as it is a major step in achieving their goal of restoring the state of Myanmar before the disaster struck.”
Although the situation is gradually improving over time, citizens worldwide should be on the lookout for any support they can provide to those impacted by the unfortunate earthquake.
