More survivors pulled from rubble after Myanmar quake

Official death toll now 2,000 as thousands are still missing

- STUTI MISHRA

Four more people have been rescued from the rubble in Myanmar four days after a powerful earthquake devastated parts of the country, as fears grew that the true death toll could climb above 10,000. In Mandalay, a Chinese search and rescue team pulled a woman alive from the rubble of the Great Wall Hotel in the early hours of yesterday, nearly 60 hours after the earthquake struck.

The woman had been trapped under heavy debris, and rescuers worked for hours to free her. A video shared by local media showed onlookers applauding as she was lowered down from a mountain of rubble in the bucket of a large excavator, before being carried away on a stretcher.

She was reported to be in stable condition, according to the Chinese embassy, which confirmed the rescue in a statement. China is among several countries, including India, Thailand and Russia, that have sent rescue teams and aid to assist in the ongoing search for survivors.

Another video showed a child being pulled out to safety after 60 hours. Survivors were also pulled out from a collapsed school in the northern Sagaing region, according to Myanmar’s fire department, which recovered one body from the site.

In another rescue attempt on Sunday, a pregnant woman was pulled from the rubble of a collapsed 12-storey apartment complex in Mandalay after being trapped for more than two days. Rescuers were forced to amputate one of her legs to extricate her, according to The Guardian. However, she was pronounced dead shortly after being freed.

Across central Myanmar, rescue teams and volunteers were scrambling to save lives, hampered by a lack of equipment, with some rescuers using their bare hands to search for the missing.