INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Myanmars military rulers let in hundreds of foreign rescue personnel on Saturday after an earthquake killed more than 1,600 people, the most
dangerous natural disaster to strike the impoverished, war-torn country in years.Fridays 7.7 magnitude quake, amongst the most significant
to jolt the Southeast Asian nation in the last century, paralyzed airports, bridges and highways amid a civil war that has trashed the
economy and displaced millions.The death toll in Myanmar reached 1,644, the military federal government stated on Saturday, according to BBC
Burmese news service.In neighbouring Thailand, where the quake rattled structures and reduced a high-rise building under building in the
capital Bangkok, a minimum of 9 people were killed.Survivors in Mandalay, Myanmars second-biggest city, dug with their bare hands on Friday
in desperate efforts to save those still caught, lacking heavy machinery and with authorities absent.In Bangkok on Saturday, rescue
operations continued at the website of the 33-story towers collapse, where 47 individuals were missing out on or caught under the rubble -
including employees from Myanmar.The U.S
Geological Services predictive modelling estimated Myanmars death toll could go beyond 10,000 and losses could exceed the countrys yearly
economic output.A day after making a rare call for worldwide support, Myanmars junta chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, travelled to
hard-hit Mandalay near the epicentre of the quake, which reduced structures and set off fires in some areas.The Chairman of the State
Administration Council instructed authorities to expedite search and rescue efforts and deal with any immediate requirements, the junta
stated in a declaration on state media, describing Min Aung Hlaing.Airports ClosedAn initial evaluation by Myanmars opposition National
Unity Government stated a minimum of 2,900 structures, 30 roadways and 7 bridges had actually been damaged by the quake.Due to substantial
damage, Naypyitaw and Mandalay global airports are momentarily closed, said the NUG, that includes residues of the chosen civilian federal
government ousted by the military in a 2021 coup that activated the civil war.The control tower at the airport in Naypyitaw, Myanmars
purpose-built capital city, collapsed, rendering it inoperable, a person with knowledge of the situation told Reuters.A Myanmar junta
spokesperson did not react to calls seeking comment.Hospitals in central and northwestern Myanmar were struggling to manage the influx of
hurt individuals, the U.N
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said, cautioning that damage to roads was hindering access.Seventeen cargo trucks of
shelter and medical materials was because of get here on Sunday to deal with scarcities of medicines, consisting of blood bags and
anaesthetics, the company added.A Chinese rescue team reached the airport in Myanmars industrial capital of Yangon, hundreds of kilometres
from Mandalay and Naypyitaw, and will travel upcountry by bus, state media said.Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone with the junta
chief, Chinas embassy in Myanmar stated on Saturday, and said Beijing would supply $13.77 million worth of help, consisting of tents,
blankets and emergency medical kits.The United States, which has a testy relationship with the Myanmar armed force and has actually approved
its authorities, consisting of Min Aung Hlaing, has said it would offer some assistance.Relief products from India on a military aircraft
also landed in Yangon, according to Myanmar state media, and Indias federal government stated it was likewise dispatching ships with 40
tonnes of humanitarian aid.Russia, Malaysia and Singapore were also sending out planeloads of relief products and personnel.No Help
ComingResidents in the hardest-hit areas are desperate for the help.The quake, which struck around lunchtime on Friday, affected large
swathes of Myanmar, from the main plains around Mandalay to the hills of Shan in the east, parts of which are not entirely under the juntas
control.Rescue operations in Mandalay could not match the scale of the disaster, one resident said by phone, asking not to be named since of
security concerns.Many individuals are caught however there is no assistance coming just merely due to the fact that there isnt manpower or
equipment or lorries, he said.In Bangkok, 1,000 km (620 miles) from the epicentre, authorities on Saturday pushed ahead with efforts to
discover construction workers caught under the rubble of the collapsed tower, utilizing excavators, drones and search-and-rescue
dogs.Thailands Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said all possible resources had been deployed to look for survivors and to bring
out bodies of the deceased.We always have hope, he informed press reporters
Were still working around the clock.Chanpen Kaewnoi, 39, stated she rushed over on Friday afternoon after seeing report that the
under-construction structure where her mother and more youthful sibling were working had actually collapsed.I called my sister, however no
matter the number of times I tried to call her there was no connection, she stated after a sleep deprived night at the site.I wish to wait
on my mom and sibling, stated Chanpen, herself a construction employee, I wish to see their faces again.Across the stretching metropolis,
where such quakes are rare, there may be up to 5,000 damaged buildings, including property towers, said Anek Siripanichgorn, a board member
of Council of Engineers Thailand, which is assisting municipal authorities.We are going through hundreds of cases, he said
If we see cases where there is prospective danger, we will right away send out engineers.Source: Reuters-- Agencies
