KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 — The Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) is focusing its efforts on locating victims trapped in places of worship affected by the earthquake disaster in Myanmar’s Sagaing district.
In a statement, the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) said the search and rescue (SAR) operation by the team is currently being activated at three locations in the district, namely at Moe Gya Mosque, Nyoo Ma Mosque and Nyat Private School, with local residents estimating that 20 victims are still trapped.
“The MAS-01 (Malaysian Humanitarian Aid Mission) team focuses on critical facilities such as places of worship such as mosques and temples as well as schools and hospitals,” it said.
Today marks the second day of the team’s deployment to carry out humanitarian missions and assist in SAR operations for earthquake victims in the country, after arriving at Nay Pyi Taw International Airport yesterday afternoon (Myanmar time).
The team, consisting of 50 members, then embarked on a 270-kilometre land journey that took 24 hours, passing through 10 security checkpoints before arriving in the Sagaing region at 4 am (Myanmar time) and establishing a Base of Operations (BoO) at the Sagaing Anniversary Football Pitch.
The statement said the SMART operation in the country is facing security issues, including reports of conflict areas still being bombed by the Myanmar military and the risk of landmines present around Sagaing, especially near temples.
“Aftershocks are still frequently occurring with magnitudes of between 3 and 5.1, posing a risk of subsequent collapses of unstable buildings, endangering the MAS-01 Team,” according to the statement.
NADMA said the SMART team also faced logistical issues such as fuel supply for vehicles and equipment like generators, but Malawakil (Malaysian missions abroad) helped identify petrol stations that could undertake supplies for the team.
The statement said the forecast of hot weather with temperatures between 38 and 41 degrees Celsius makes it difficult for humanitarian aid missions and SAR operations, especially during midday.
“The disaster period has surpassed the critical 72-hour mark. Based on the rubble and environmental conditions, the percentage of finding and rescuing survivors trapped under the debris is decreasing.
“The lack of basic supplies for the survivors increases the threat level for disaster victims in the affected areas,” according to the statement.
Last Friday, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 struck Myanmar, with Mandalay, Bago, Magway, northeastern Shan State, Sagaing, and Naypyidaw among the most severely affected areas. According to NADMA, the number of casualties in Myanmar based on local media reports is 2,900 people, while thousands are injured and many more are still missing. The earthquake also impacted neighbouring Thailand. — Bernama
