Horrendous stench of decaying our bodies permeates earthquake-destroyed streets of Myanmar

Rescue teams are continuing to look for survivors under the rubble in Myanmar’s second largest city after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake killed more than 1600 people

The smell of decaying bodies is permeating the streets of Myanmar two days after a massive earthquake left countless people buried and more than 1,600 dead.

A 7.7. magnitude earthquake hit the country midday on Friday with an epicentre near Mandalay, which brought down dozens of buildings and damaged key infrastructure.

Buckled roads, collapsed bridges and broken communications have slowed down relief efforts in the country which is already struggling through a civil war. Local people have conducted most of the searches for survivors and they do not have access to heavy equipment, so they are having to move rubble with their hands and shovels while enduring 41-degree Celsius heat. Tracked excavators have been rarely seen.

Another aftershock hit Sunday afternoon with a magnitude of 5.1, prompting screams from those in the streets. The 1.5million population of Mandalay spent the night sleeping on the streets having either been left homeless by the quake.

Thailand also suffered as a result of the earthquake, with 18 dead in the country. There are concerns that the continuing aftershocks might cause other structures to collapse.

In Myanmar, 1644 people have been killed and 3408 have been injured, but many areas have not yet been reached and rescue efforts have largely been done by local people, said Cara Bragg, the Yangon-based manager of Catholic Relief Services in Myanmar.

She said: “I’ve also seen reports that now some countries are sending search and rescue teams up to Mandalay to support the efforts, but hospitals are really struggling to cope with the influx of injured people, there’s a shortage of medical supplies, and people are struggling to find food and clean water.”

The relief service was sending a team on Sunday to assess people’s needs to develop it own response.

Mandalay airport has been damaged and the control tower of Naypitaw’s airport has collapsed. All commercial flights into the cities have been shut down.

Official relief efforts in Naypitaw were prioritising government offices and staff housing, leaving locals and aid groups to dig through the rubble by hand in residential areas as the smell of death permeates the air.

An older man was rescued by a Chinese team in the city after he had been trapped under rubble for nearly 40 hours, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

A convoy of 17 Chinese cargo trucks carrying critical shelter and medical supplies were expected to reach Mandalay today.

But the window of time to find survivors is rapidly closing, as most rescues occur within the first 24 hours.

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