The death toll in Myanmar has risen to 16 hundred after Friday’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake. Rescue efforts are continuing as thousands are still reported injured or missing.
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00:00The latest one is we are still compiling information, but we are unfolding the dire situation both
00:10in Mandalay and Naypyidaw.
00:13And we are finding more and more injured people and trapped people on the ground.
00:17And we've seen reports out of more than 1,600 people have died that something like 3,400
00:24are still missing.
00:26And one group was even saying that they suspected more than 10,000 people could die from this
00:32natural disaster.
00:35How does that all sit with what you're seeing and hearing on the ground?
00:40I think that could be correct because the magnitude of the earthquake and also the extent
00:46of the affected area could cover more than, it could affect more than 100,000 people.
00:52So yeah, we're just monitoring the situation.
00:56And besides that, it's also very difficult to get in directly into that unless you're
01:01in that area because all the, most of the roads are damaged and as well as some bridges
01:08are damaged.
01:09It's very difficult to go there right now from outside of Mandalay.
01:13And also the air travel is also very restricted because both the airport in Mandalay and also
01:20Neburo are also badly damaged.
01:23So the airport is temporarily closed down.
01:26And given that there has been such a huge impact on the infrastructure, we've been hearing
01:32and seeing that there is not the heavy equipment and the accessibility to be able to even do
01:38the kind of work that has to happen immediately to find survivors.
01:44Is that the case there?
01:46What's the lay of the land?
01:48Yeah, I think we have, the capacity to rescue is very limited.
01:55So like heavy equipment, also the people with that experience also is very limited because
02:02this is the first time in Myanmar over the century that had the kind of the earthquake
02:08that we have seen this time.
02:10So actually we, or no one has that experience in, you know, the addressing this kind of
02:19big disaster in Myanmar.
02:21And where does that sit with the military junta being in charge and leading the politics
02:26there?
02:27Yeah, I think the military government is still working on that.
02:35We just know that the rescue team from China and Russia and also some support from India
02:43and also ASEAN is coming.
02:44So I think they are starting to respond to this situation.
02:49But the window of survival is also is, you know, counting, is counting and ticking.
02:56Yeah, it must feel like time is running out.
02:58And you touched there on some of the resources that are being sent.
03:01We know that Russia, India, Malaysia and Singapore have sent relief supplies as well as personnel
03:07to Myanmar.
03:08China, Russia and India have sent rescue teams and South Korea immediately offered $2 million
03:14in support.
03:16Is that already starting to hit the ground?
03:18And what is the need, the cost and the resources that are required right now?
03:25I think the resource is still, we need a lot of resources.
03:30The current situation, the current help and assistance, even from the external assistance
03:35is not really enough.
03:38So we need more than that and need immediately.
03:42And is that the call that's being made and heard around the world?
03:48I think so.
03:50The government already announced or appealed to the international community to help Myanmar
03:57even on the first day.
04:00Chi Min, National Director of World Vision International Myanmar.
04:03Thank you so much for your time this morning.