A powerful earthquake in Myanmar : HI assesses the situation

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 struck central Myanmar on Friday, March 28, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Handicap International (HI), which is present in the country, is currently assessing the extent of the damage and preparing to intervene.

A powerful earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.7, hit central Myanmar on Friday, March 28, at 12:50 local time (7:20 Paris time). Tremors were felt in Laos, Thailand, and also in China. The earthquake’s epicenter was located about ten kilometers from the city of Sagaing, in the center of Myanmar. At this time, the human toll is still unknown, but many injured people are arriving at hospitals. According to local media, the earthquake caused the collapse of several bridges, buildings, and sections of the nearly 600- kilometer-long Yangon-Mandalay highway, leading to road closures along the route. The authorities declared a state of emergency in 6 regions impacted by the earthquake. The Burmese junta has also called for international aid.

Testimony from Patrick, rehabilitation specialist at Handicap International Luxembourg

In situations like this, for rehabilitation, our physiotherapists deploy quickly to take an initial assessment : available hospitals, the state of rehabilitation services, etc. What we fear in the case of earthquakes are many fractures, amputations, spinal cord injuries, or cranial trauma. My colleague, a regional expert, will train the team online on emergency trauma care, and inform all actors on the ground that we are ready to intervene.

We have the advantage of having teams on the ground for many years, especially in
the rehabilitation sector. In this context, we already have a small stock of mobility aids
available for immediate deployment. Furthermore, we had previously carried out a
Safe Hospital Initiative project that aimed to prepare the Mandalay hospital, located
near the epicenter, for a disaster like an earthquake. A project supported from
Luxembourg ! The teams there are therefore prepared for prioritizing care and
emergency interventions. We will be able to contact them as soon as possible.

The walls began to shake, it’s the longest earthquake of my life Kyaw Zaw Naing is the operations manager at HI in Myanmar. As he was returning from his lunch break, he recalls feeling everything shaking around him.

I had just returned to my office after lunch when I felt all the walls, the tables shaking violently. I was extremely surprised because the tremors lasted really long. I’ve already experienced earthquakes, but this time it was really very long. My colleagues and I decided to leave the building to take shelter, and we continued to feel the ground shaking. I wanted to call my loved ones, but the phone lines were down. Fortunately, I now know that they are fine. Here in Yangon, we are quite far from the earthquake’s epicenter, but I fear that the damage is very significant in the most affected regions, and I am thinking of the families, the children there. I saw that some bridges had been destroyed, and some residents are afraid of possible floods. The situation is still quite unclear at this point, but we are doing everything we can to assess the needs.

HI, present in Myanmar and throughout the region, is currently assessing the extent of the damage.

HI has been in Myanmar since 2008. HI teams in Myanmar, trained for emergency, intervention, are closely monitoring the situation on the ground and are currently evaluating the damage and the needs of the most vulnerable groups in order to consider an intervention. At this point, all HI teams and their loved ones are safe.

In this type of context, we can also expect a high number of casualties, especially many injured people : wounds, complex fractures, cranial trauma, spinal injuries, and amputations. In any case, emergency intervention is necessary to help the injured. During such emergencies, HI intervenes in hospitals, which are saturated with patients. Depending on the injuries and trauma, we collaborate with emergency medical teams to ensure the best possible care for the patients. Our goal is to intervene as quickly as possible in rehabilitation to prevent more severe disabilities. We provide our expertise by performing initial rehabilitation steps, as well as offering technical aid such as wheelchairs, crutches, etc. We are particularly vigilant about the situation of the most vulnerable groups, especially people with disabilities, who may have been unable to flee and have no means of assistance.

Pauline Falipou, emergency rehabilitation specialist at HI.

While tremors were felt in Thailand, HI’s office in that country has been closed in anticipation of possible aftershocks. The teams are in close contact with the Myanmar program to provide support if needed.

Myanmar, a country regularly affected by earthquakes

Earthquakes are relatively frequent in Myanmar, where six earthquakes of magnitude 7 or greater occurred between 1930 and 1956 near the Sagaing fault, which runs through the center of the country from north to south. This fault is caused by the movement of the Indian and Eurasian plates, and cities along this fault are among the most exposed to earthquakes in Myanmar.

In 2016, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake shook the city of Bagan, in central Myanmar, killing three people and causing the collapse of the walls of temples in this tourist destination. In November 2012, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake also struck central Myanmar, killing 26 people and injuring hundreds.

More information : https://www.handicap-international.lu/