SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): It took three nerve-racking hours after a powerful earthquake struck on Friday (March 28) before Hein Htet Zaw could get through to his family in Myanmar.

The 27-year-old was in Peninsula Plaza shopping centre – dubbed Singapore’s Little Myanmar – when he heard that his home city Mandalay had been rocked by the 7.7-magnitude temblor.

However, he said his heart is “broken” over the extensive damage in his hometown, a sentiment echoed by many of his countrymen when ST visited Peninsula Plaza on March 29.

A Burmese quality specialist who wanted to be known only as Ms Aung said: “It is already difficult to access essential needs in Myanmar, so now with the earthquake, it’s worse. The hospitals are overwhelmed and it’s very difficult for rescue teams to reach there.”

Myanmar has been embroiled in a civil war likely to complicate rescue operations since 2021, when the military junta staged a coup. It has since put out a rare call for aid “from any country”.

Though all her kin are unharmed, the 29-year-old said she was worried and sad for her compatriots. She plans to donate money for aid.

The disaster on March 28 has killed more than 1,000 people, injured close to 2,000, and downed critical infrastructure in Myanmar. The figures are expected to jump, with the US Geological Survey estimating the death toll could exceed 10,000, apart from severe economic losses.

Tremors were felt in Vietnam and China, while a state of emergency was declared in Thai capital Bangkok, where at least nine people died.

Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, lies close to the epicentre and was the worst hit.

Wilt Yee, who works as a cleaner in Singapore, has been anxiously posting near-constant updates on the precarious situation on Facebook for her friends and family in Mandalay.

The 39-year-old plans to give $1,000 to monasteries to help with relief work, she said. Her friends here, including a Singaporean, have already passed her some $300.

Meanwhile, a caregiver based in Singapore said her father had dashed back home from his workplace in Mandalay to look for her mother, who has walking difficulties.

The woman, who declined to give her name and age, said her parents have to cope with limited water and electricity supplies now.

“I wish I was back in Myanmar with my family but I can only get updates through them,” she lamented. - The Straits Times/ANN

(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.

"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.