OFFICIAL PORTAL
PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
(Reuters) - When Friday's powerful earthquake struck central Myanmar, Htet Min Oo was performing ritual ablutions before Ramadan prayers at a mosque next to his house in Mandalay.
His home collapsed along with part of the mosque, trapping half his body with the rubble of a wall that buried two of his aunts. Residents raced to pull the aunts out, he said, but only one survived.
Htet Min Oo, 25, said two uncles and his grandmother were also trapped under piles of concrete. With no heavy equipment available, he tried desperately to clear the rubble with his hands but could not shift it.
"I don’t know if they are still alive under the debris. After so long, I don’t think there’s any hope," he said on Friday.
"There’s too much rubble and no rescue teams have come for us," he added, his voice shaking as he broke into tears.
Hundreds of Muslims are feared among the dead in Myanmar after the shallow quake struck as worshippers gathered at mosques for Friday prayers in the holy month.
More than 50 mosques sustained damage, according to the shadow National Unity Government.
'I HAD TO LEAVE HIM BEHIND'
A 39-year-old resident of the Mandalay region described harrowing scenes as he tried to save a man trapped under the debris of a collapsed mosque in Sule Kone village, but had to flee because of strong aftershocks.
"I had to leave him behind ... I went in a second time to try to save him," he said, declining to be identified.
"I retrieved four people with my own hands. But unfortunately, three were already dead and one died in my arms."
He said 10 people had been killed there, and that they were among 23 who died at three mosques that were destroyed in the village. Government restrictions had prevented them being upgraded, he said.
Muslims are a minority in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar and have been marginalised by successive governments, while ultranationalist groups and extremist monks have in recent years incited violence.
Myanmar authorities have for decades made it difficult for Muslims to obtain permission to repair or build new mosques, according to 2017 report by the U.S. State Department, which said historic mosques have deteriorated because routine maintenance was denied.
Buddhist buildings were also badly hit by the quake, with 670 monasteries and 290 pagodas damaged, according to the military government. It did not mention any mosques in its damage report.
Reuters could not reach the mosques or verify the accounts of the collapses.
One man, Julian Kyle, appealed on social media for heavy equipment to lift concrete pillars after the quake destroyed another Mandalay mosque.
"Underneath the rubble, my family members and others were crushed and lost their lives," he posted. "We desperately want to recover their bodies."
A resident from the town of Taungnoo about 370 km (230 miles) away said he was praying when one side of the Kandaw mosque caved in on two rows of men seated before him.
"I saw so many people carried out from the mosque, some of them died right before my eyes," he said. "It was truly heartbreaking."
(Reporting by Shoon Naing and Wa Lone, Writing by Martin Petty, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
SIBU (March 30): The Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Bawang Assan branch has distributed food aid to 98 families affected by the recent floods in Tanjung Kunyit, Sungai Sadit, Lebaan, Engkilo, and Sungai Bidut.
Branch chairman Councillor Kevin Lau said his team is also assisting the affected families in applying for aid from the Sarawak Welfare Department through the Sibu Resident Office.
“I thank our councillors, kapitans and penghulus for their cooperation in distributing the assistance to the affected families to lighten their burden, and also the Welfare Department for their prompt response to our request,” he said.
With another high tide expected on March 31, Lau urged residents in flood-prone areas to remain vigilant and prioritise safety.
MANDALAY: Pasukan penyelamat menarik keluar seorang wanita yang masih hidup dari serpihan runtuhan bangunan pangsapuri di Mandalay pada Sabtu, 30 jam selepas gempa bumi dahsyat melanda Myanmar.
Mereka yang berada di lokasi memberikan tepukan gemuruh ketika Phyu Lay Khaing, 30, ditarik keluar dari runtuhan Kondominium Sky Villa oleh penyelamat, secara berhati-hati dan menggunakan pengusung.
Suaminya, Ye Aung, yang menunggu berita dalam keadaan cemas, memeluk Lay Khaing ketika pengusung diletakkan.
"Pada mulanya, saya tidak sangka dia masih hidup," kata Ye Aung kepada AFP sambil menunggu isterinya keluar dari runtuhan.
"Saya sangat gembira kerana saya mendengar berita baik," kata peniaga itu, yang mempunyai dua anak lelaki bersama isterinya, William, 8, dan Ethan, 5.
Ketika ambulans mula bergerak ke hospital, Ye Aung melihat melalui tingkap sambil menggenggam tangan isterinya.
Seorang pegawai Palang Merah memberitahu AFP sebelum ini, lebih 90 orang mungkin terperangkap di bawah runtuhan blok pangsapuri itu.
Gempa bumi berukuran 7.7 magnitud melanda barat laut Mandalay pada awal petang Jumaat, diikuti gempa susulan 6.7 magnitud beberapa minit kemudian.
Gegaran itu memusnahkan bangunan, jambatan dan jalan raya merentasi kawasan di Myanmar, dengan kemusnahan besar-besaran dilihat di Mandalay, bandar kedua terbesar di negara itu dan kediaman kepada lebih 1.7 juta orang.
Woman rescued alive from collapsed Mandalay apartment block: AFP
Mandalay, Myanmar, March 29, 2025 (AFP) -
Rescuers pulled a woman alive from the wreckage of a collapsed apartment building in Mandalay on Saturday, AFP journalists saw, 30 hours after a devastating quake hit Myanmar.
Applause rang out as Phyu Lay Khaing, 30, was brought out of the Sky Villa Condominium by rescuers and carefully removed from the rubble by stretcher.
Her husband Ye Aung, who had been waiting anxiously for news, embraced her as the stretcher was lifted down.
"In the beginning, I didn't think she would be alive," Ye Aung told AFP as he waited for his wife to emerge from the debris.
"I am very happy that I heard good news," said the trader, who has two sons with his wife -- eight-year-old William, and Ethan, five.
As the ambulance drove away to hospital, Ye Aung was seen through the window clutching his wife's hand.
A Red Cross official told AFP earlier that more than 90 people could be trapped under the remains of the apartment block.
The shallow 7.7-magnitude quake struck northwest of Mandalay early Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock.
The tremors destroyed buildings, downed bridges and buckled roads across swathes of Myanmar, with massive destruction seen in Mandalay, the country's second-biggest city and home to more than 1.7 million people.
KUALA LUMPUR: Sejak ditubuhkan hampir tiga dekad lepas, Pasukan Mencari dan Menyelamat Khas Malaysia (SMART) telah menjadi barisan hadapan negara dalam operasi mencari dan menyelamat (SAR) serta bantuan kemanusiaan, bukan sahaja di dalam negara tetapi juga di peringkat antarabangsa.
Ditubuhkan pada 1 Ogos 1995, SMART lahir selepas tragedi menyayat hati runtuhnya kondominium Highland Towers pada Disember 1993, yang telah membuka mata kerajaan tentang keperluan mendesak bagi mempunyai pasukan penyelamat yang terlatih dan bersedia menghadapi situasi bencana besar di negara ini.
Di bawah arahan Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN), SMART diwujudkan dengan keanggotaan daripada tiga badan utama iaitu Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM), Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM) dan Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat Malaysia (JBPM).
Sejak 2015, SMART telah diletakkan di bawah Agensi Pengurusan Bencana Negara (NADMA) dan pada tahun ini pasukan khas itu dianggotai seramai 138 individu daripada tiga organisasi berkenaan.
SMART kini telah berkembang menjadi pasukan elit bertaraf dunia apabila memperoleh status 'Heavy' bagi Operasi Mencari dan Menyelamat di Kawasan Bandar (USAR) daripada Kumpulan Penasihat Mencari dan Menyelamat Antarabangsa (INSARAG) di bawah Pejabat Penyelarasan Hal Ehwal Kemanusiaan Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu pada 2016.
SMART ialah satu-satunya pasukan dalam kalangan negara ASEAN, pasukan kedua di Asia selepas Jepun dan pasukan ke-46 di dunia yang menerima pengiktirafan yang membolehkan SMART menjalankan operasi SAR secara kendiri.
Sejak penubuhannya, SMART telah terlibat dalam pelbagai misi penyelamatan di luar negara termasuk membantu mangsa gempa bumi iaitu di Turkiye pada 1999 dan 2023, Gujarat, India (2001), Pakistan (2005), Padang, Indonesia (2009) dan Nepal (2015).
SMART juga memainkan peranan menjalankan operasi ketika dalam tragedi tsunami di Aceh pada 2004 dan memberi bantuan ketika Taufan Haiyan di Filipina pada 2013, selain turut dikerahkan ke Ukraine pada 2014 susulan tragedi pesawat MH17.
Media hari ini melaporkan Timbalan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata SMART telah digerakkan bagi menyertai operasi SAR di kawasan paling terkesan akibat gempa bumi di Myanmar.
Bagi menyertai pasukan khas ini, SMART telah menetapkan kriteria dan syarat yang ketat dalam fasa satu iaitu pemilihan awal yang dijalankan selama tujuh hari diikuti fasa dua iaitu Kursus Khas SMART.
Tapisan kelayakan pemilihan awal ini mengambil kira tempoh perkhidmatan melebihi lima tahun, disahkan jawatan dalam perkhidmatan dan berumur tidak melebihi 35 tahun.
Antara ujian yang perlu dilalui semasa pemilihan awal ialah larian 2.4 kilometer (km) dan 7 km, renang gaya bebas 300 meter, ujian fobia ketinggian di platform10 meter, apungan di kolam selama 10 minit dan ujian fobia darah atau mayat.
Turut diuji ialah fobia gelap atau ruang sempit, kecergasan litar, evakuasi kecederaan, ujiian pengetahuan dan temu duga akhir.
Di fasa dua pula, pegawai dan anggota perlu mengharungi latihan dan ujian pelbagai pengetahuan dan kemahiran berkenaan bidang penyelamatan dan selepas melepasi kedua-dua fasa ini, barulah seseorang itu boleh diterima masuk ke dalam SMART.
Menerusi konsep MyTeam Relief yang diamalkan SMART pula, pasukan ini boleh beroperasi dengan bantuan komponen lain seperti pasukan perubatan, anjing pengesan dan Pasukan Khas Bahan Kimia Berbahaya (Hazmat) dalam sesuatu misi menyelamat.
Bagi memastikan SMART sentiasa berada di tahap terbaik, pegawai dan anggotanya turut dihantar menjalani latihan di negara maju seperti Jepun dan Amerika Syarikat bagi mendapat pendedahan berkaitan pengurusan bencana, selain menjalani kursus di dalam negara. – BERNAMA
KUALA LUMPUR: For nearly three decades, the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) has been at the forefront of search and rescue (SAR) operations and humanitarian aid efforts, not only within the country but also globally.
Established on Aug 1, 1995, SMART was formed in response to the tragic collapse of the Highland Towers condominium in December 1993. The disaster highlighted the urgent need for a highly trained and well-equipped rescue team to handle large-scale emergencies in Malaysia.
Operating under the National Security Council, SMART was initially composed of personnel from three key agencies: the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) and the Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM).
Since 2015, SMART has been placed under the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA). As of this year, the elite team consists of 138 personnel from these three organisations.
Malaysian history books
SMART has since evolved into a world-class elite force, achieving the prestigious status of a Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team from the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) under the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in 2016.
SMART holds the distinction of being the only ASEAN team, the second in Asia after Japan, and the 46th in the world to receive this recognition, allowing it to conduct independent SAR operations.