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Chinese nurses protect newborns as Myanmar earthquake tremors shake hospital | On cam
At least 1,600 people have been killed and 3,400 injured in Myanmar where severe damage has slowed down the delivery of humanitarian aid
At least 1,600 people have been killed and 3,400 injured in Myanmar after 7.7-magnitude earthquake ravaged the country on Friday and sent tremors across the region. The US Geological Service's predictive modelling has estimated the death toll to cross 10,000 and economic losses could exceed the country's annual GDP growth.
Chinese state media on Sunday said that twelve people were injured in the country as tremors spread and caused minor damages. Videos of devastation from Myanmar and several neighbouring countries have shocked the internet.
Now, a video of a shaking hospital building from China has gone viral. In the video, two nurses at the maternity ward of Jingcheng Hospital in Yunnan province try holding the creches of newborns to protect them from the impact of tremors.
Watch the viral video below
Aid rushes into Myanmar
The United Nations has said that damaged critical infrastructure, including an airport, highways and bridges have slowed down the delivery of humanitarian aid. Countries which have rushed to Myanmar include India, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Russia.
The Southeast Asian country has already been battered by ethnic civil war triggered by 2021 military coup that ousted the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Before the disaster, about 3.5 million people had been displaced and thousands are under the risk of hunger and malnutrition.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the junta chief, said, “All military and civilian hospitals, as well as healthcare workers, must work together in a coordinated and efficient manner to ensure effective medical response.”
Residents told Reuters that the presence of authorities were scarce, and they were forced to fend for themselves.
The entire town of Sagaing near the earthquake's epicentre had been without electricity since the disaster and is running out of drinking water.
The opposition National Unity Government said its militias will pause military actions against the junta for two weeks starting Sunday. “The NUG, together with resistance forces, allied organisations and civil society groups, will carry out rescue operations,” it said in a statement.
