SCDF officers share how they rescued Myanmar quake victim

They drilled through concrete slabs while lying on their side in order to reach him

- Claudia Tan

Rescuers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) had to operate in tight spaces to get to victims of the earthquake in Myanmar, even drilling through concrete slabs while lying on their side to get to one man.

They were giving more details of their efforts after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck near Mandalay, the country's second-largest city, on March 28.

SCDF deployed an 80-strong contingent and four search canines the day after the disaster. It was Operation Lionheart's 21st deployment since 1990.

In an interview with The Sunday Times on April 21, officers described how they rescued a victim from a three-storey building which had partially collapsed, just hours after arriving in Naypyitaw, Myanmar's capital, on March 30.

Search and rescue operations began at about 1am in Zabuthiri Township in Naypyitaw.

The SCDF team entered the collapsed building from its rear. They had to squeeze through a narrow passageway to locate the victim, who was about 10 to 15m away from the entry point.

To reach him, the team had to go on all fours to squeeze through fallen concrete slabs.

As a safety measure, a stack of wooden blocks was used to support the slabs above the rescuers to prevent them from shifting.

Space was tight, and SCDF rescuers, who were armed with a battery-operated drill and a hydraulic cutter, had to lie on their side to break a concrete slab trapping the man.

During the eight-hour operation, the officers took turns entering the collapsed structure to drill the concrete slab and cut the reinforced steel bars.