Urgent rescue operations are underway as time runs out to save those still trapped beneath the rubble after a catastrophic earthquake struck Myanmar and neighboring Thailand.
The death toll has surged to 2,719 and is expected to surpass 3,000, according to Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing in a televised address on Tuesday.
More than 4,500 people have been injured, with many still missing as rescue efforts continue.
Among the victims were 50 children and two teachers who perished when their preschool near Mandalay collapsed, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported.
The agency highlighted the dire conditions in the hardest-hit areas, where communities are struggling with access to clean water, sanitation, and emergency aid.
The stench of decaying bodies has begun to permeate the streets of Myanmar’s second-largest city, as residents work frantically to clear debris in the hope of finding survivors.
Emergency response teams, including international aid groups, are racing against time to provide life-saving assistance.
Fr. Girish Santiago, SJ, the Jesuit Regional Superior of Myanmar, arrived in Mandalay on Monday evening after a grueling ten-hour journey.
He immediately visited Archbishop Marco Tin Win at his residence, where they experienced tremors during dinner.
“We ran outside and continued our meal in an open space,” Fr. Santiago told LiCAS News. “That night, we all—including the archbishop—slept under the trees, fearing more tremors.”
Mandalay and central Myanmar continue to experience aftershocks, forcing terrified residents to sleep outdoors in makeshift shelters.
“Having lived through the terror of the earthquake, people now fear aftershocks and are sleeping outside on roads or in open fields,” an International Rescue Committee worker in Mandalay reported.
Despite the devastation, faith remains unshaken. “We celebrated the Eucharist on Tuesday morning in an open space in front of the bishop’s house, which has suffered massive damage, including the clergy home,” Fr. Santiago recounted.
Diocesan offices have moved outdoors, and staff members now eat and work in open spaces.
Traveling by motorcycle, Fr. Santiago has been visiting victims across Mandalay, offering solace and support. “People, both rich and poor, have built shelters on the roadside. The situation is heartbreaking,” he said.
Aid groups stress that food, clean water, medicine, and shelter are urgently needed for displaced communities.
At the Servite Sisters’ convent and the neighboring St. Anthony Church, Fr. Santiago found both buildings severely damaged.
Yet, despite their hardships, the sisters continue to cook meals and distribute food to those in need. The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition (SJA), who celebrated 175 years of their congregation’s mission in Myanmar three years ago, have also been deeply affected.
Their boarding house shelters 44 internally displaced children, who, despite their own hardships, have been actively helping the sisters prepare and distribute food.
The 7.7-magnitude earthquake, the strongest to hit Myanmar and neighboring Thailand in a century, caused widespread destruction.
Ancient pagodas, modern buildings, and critical infrastructure were reduced to rubble. In Bangkok, a 30-story government building under construction collapsed, trapping dozens beneath its wreckage.
Rescue teams in Bangkok continue to search for survivors at the collapsed skyscraper, though hopes are fading.
“There are about 70 bodies underneath, and we pray for a miracle—that one or two may still be alive,” said Bin Bunluerit, a volunteer rescue leader. The confirmed death toll at the site has risen to 13, with 74 people still unaccounted for. Thailand’s national death toll from the quake stands at 20.
In response to the crisis, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand (CBCT) launched an emergency fundraising appeal on Tuesday to support those affected in Myanmar.
“Caritas Myanmar is working tirelessly to assist those who have lost their homes, churches, and convents,” said Archbishop Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana of Bangkok, CBCT president. “Immediate emergency support is critically needed.”
As Myanmar and the wider region grapple with the aftermath of this devastating earthquake, humanitarian groups continue to rally resources, while survivors cling to hope amid the ruins.
