As information about the human cost of the powerful earthquake that struck Myanmar on Friday slowly emerged, it became clear that the ancient city of Mandalay bore the brunt of the impact. Situated close to the epicentre of the quake, Mandalay is the second most populated city in the country.
By Saturday midnight local time, the ruling military junta’s state-run media reported that the death toll had climbed to 1,644, with more than 3,408 people injured. Nearly 700 of the dead and more than 1,600 of the injured are in Mandalay, as stated by the junta’s Myanmar Radio and Television account on their Telegram channel.
Hundreds of Buddhist monks who were gathered in a building for a religious exam, along with hundreds of Muslim residents praying in mosques, are feared to have died during the earthquake. An estimated 250 Myanmar Muslims were killed, and about 50 mosques were destroyed, with most of the victims believed to be from Mandalay, according to an official of the Myanmar Islam Association.
The official lamented that the mosques in Mandalay were particularly vulnerable to damage because successive governments in Myanmar had not approved necessary maintenance to the buildings, contributing to the destruction of religious sites in a city that hosts a small Muslim minority within the predominantly Buddhist country.
“We cannot yet remove the wreckages of the collapsed buildings since there is not enough machinery and equipment. There are people still trapped underneath,” said the official.
Mandalay, known as a city of rich cultural significance, is home to numerous ancient Buddhist temples and monuments, as well as newer Buddhist monasteries and learning centres. One of the largest Buddhist learning centres, the New Masoeyein monastic compound located southwest of Mandalay Palace, saw a number of its storied buildings collapse, trapping many monks inside.
The military junta sent soldiers and police to guard the area and provide assistance to the monks. Among the monks residing at this learning centre is Ashin Wirathu, a notorious anti-Muslim monk with close ties to the junta. Wirathu was seen by a Myanmar Now reporter on Friday evening, discreetly assessing the impact of the quake at the scene.
A few kilometres from the compound is the famous Mahamuni Pagoda, one of Myanmar’s most revered Buddhist sites. The pagoda houses a giant bronze statue, which was carried off from the historical Rakhine Kingdom as war bounty in the 18th century. Some of the gilded buildings surrounding the pagoda compound collapsed during the earthquake, though it remains unclear whether the Mahamuni statue itself was damaged.
Mandalay, historically known as Yadanarbon, meaning ‘pile of gems,’ which has been a refuge for many people fleeing war-torn areas in neighbouring regions, has been transformed by the dual impact of the civil war and earthquake.
Some parts of the wall of the old Mandalay Palace are seen to be in ruins due to the earthquake. Inside the palace wall is the military headquarters of the junta’s Central Region Command and interrogation camps, known to be used for torturing the junta’s political opponents.
“It’s pretty shocking. Tall buildings and even the biggest hotels in the town have collapsed. Most of the shops are closed, and many have been damaged,” said a local woman, adding that while locals are trying to help the victims, there has been little relief assistance from the junta-run state bureaucracy.
In the neighbourhood of Sein Pan, some five miles south of Mandalay Palace, hundreds of homes were destroyed in a fire which broke out during the earthquake. On the road not far from piles of burnt wreckage, displaced locals shelter from the sun under makeshift covers.
In the Maha Aungmyay Township, south of the city, family members were seen gathering around two coffins containing the bodies of two young men killed during the earthquake. Like many others in the area, the family were living in informal settlements built next to a mosque. A family member said they were waiting for free funeral services to arrive from a local aid group, as they were unable to afford the funeral expenses.
Local residents told Myanmar Now that the situation has been made even more difficult due to phone and internet disruptions, power outages, and food shortages.
Following the earthquake, most local stores selling food and basic goods were unable to open, with power cuts making it difficult to prepare food. At local gas stations, residents scrambled to purchase fuel in large numbers, further straining already limited resources.
“People are out on the streets. There are many of them on the pavement by the corner of the road. People from the neighborhoods are also gathered in open spaces with large areas [for them] to sit,” a local woman said.
“The destruction is significant. Many areas have been affected. I’m not sure which areas have the worst damage. Whole streets, like 26th Street, are completely unusable. There are buildings that have collapsed completely. Other buildings are no longer livable, and some structures, even with a slight breeze, would likely collapse,” she added.
The earthquake’s impact is not just confined to Mandalay. Other towns in the region have also suffered severe damage, with roads obstructed and widespread destruction caused by the natural disaster.
