Malaysian Rescue Team To Focus On Places Of Worship School In Myanmar

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The National Disaster Management Agency said the search and rescue operations by Malaysia’s Smart team are focused on three locations in the Sagaing district. (EPA Images pic)
PETALING JAYA: The Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart) will focus its efforts on locating victims trapped in places of worship and a school affected by the earthquake disaster in Myanmar’s Sagaing district.
The National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) said the search and rescue operations by the team are being activated at three locations in the district.
These were at the Moe Gya Mosque, the Nyoo Ma Mosque and Nyat Private School, where local residents believe more than 20 victims are still trapped, Bernama reported.
The MAS-01 (Malaysian Humanitarian Aid Mission) team arrived at Nay Pyi Taw International Airport yesterday afternoon.
The 50-member team then embarked on a 270km land journey that took 24 hours, passing through 10 security checkpoints before arriving in the Sagaing region at 4am and establishing a base of operations at the Sagaing anniversary football pitch.
However, Nadma said in a statement the Smart operation is facing security issues, including reports of conflict areas still being bombed by the Myanmar military, and the risk of landmines 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,” it said.
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, made 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 chances of finding and rescuing survivors trapped under the debris are decreasing.
“The lack of basic supplies for the survivors increases the threat level for disaster victims in the affected areas,” the statement added.
On 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.
The death toll in Myanmar is nearly 1,700, with about 3,000 injured and hundreds still missing. The earthquake also impacted neighbouring Thailand. - FMT

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