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Message: [QUOTE="Nehanda, post: 30198, member: 2262"] The death count from Myanmar's big earthquake has gone past 1,600 people. Many locals told reporters they had to dig through broken buildings with just their hands to find family members. Rescue teams struggle because they lack tools, phone service barely works, and roads plus bridges have fallen apart. Finding survivors becomes harder every hour that passes. The quake knocked down many buildings in Mandalay, the second largest city. People clapped when rescue crews pulled one woman alive from a smashed apartment building after 30 hours. The Red Cross believes more than 90 people remain trapped inside that same building. Nearby, workers found the bodies of twelve small children and their teacher under what used to be a kindergarten. The main highway connecting major cities shows huge cracks and warped surfaces. Medical supplies ran short everywhere. Hospitals need trauma kits, blood bags, pain medicine, and basic drugs. They also need tents for treating patients outdoors. Help has started coming into the country but hasn't reached the hardest-hit areas yet, leaving regular people to handle rescues themselves. Videos spread online showed two men moving concrete pieces to free a young woman stuck between slabs. Residents reported hearing screams from people trapped under fallen structures. Some rescue teams listen carefully for any sounds that might mean someone survived. One rescuer explained they could only help when they heard voices calling out. Rescue teams found several people trapped at a private school in Sintkai township. Six people had already died before help arrived - five females and one male. The victims included students, teachers, and staff members. A worker complained about their limited equipment, saying they tried for hours to reach just one girl under the school ruins. Communication problems create massive challenges for emergency teams. A rescue worker explained that they have no internet or phone service to coordinate with each other. Even though rescue teams have arrived in some areas, they cannot easily find where to go next because all communication systems have failed. Residents describe complete chaos without any organized leadership. People must figure everything out themselves. When they discover dead bodies, they have nowhere to send them because hospitals cannot handle more patients. The military government reports over 1,500 damaged buildings around Mandalay, where the earthquake centered. Power outages make everything worse, and officials say electricity might stay off for days. Mandalay Airport cannot function because the runways cracked during the shaking. Military leaders claim they are working to restart operations there and have set up temporary medical sites and shelters. About fifteen miles from Mandalay, an older bridge has completely fallen down, and a newer bridge shows dangerous cracks, blocking access for emergency teams trying to reach victims. A local person begged for assistance, saying they lacked enough rescuers for basic emergency work. They cannot collect dead bodies, and many remain trapped under the debris. With both bridges unusable, entire communities remain cut off from any outside help. The recently built capital city, Nay Pyi Taw, experienced aftershocks and small tremors, suffering extensive damage with many casualties. Despite asking for international aid, the military government continues attacking ethnic armies and resistance groups fighting in the civil war. BBC reporters confirmed seven people died from an air strike in northern Shan state just three hours after the earthquake hit. Pro-democracy rebels report bombing attacks in central Sagaing region - exactly where the earthquake caused the most damage. The United Nations human rights expert for Myanmar urged military leaders to stop these attacks. Tom Andrews called the continued military operations during a humanitarian crisis completely outrageous and unacceptable. He demanded the military halt all combat activities immediately to focus on earthquake recovery efforts instead. [/QUOTE]

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