Crematoriums in Mandalay are struggling to cope with a surge in fatalities following a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on Friday.
Major cemeteries, including Kyanikan, Taung-Inn, and Myauk-Inn, are overwhelmed, with bodies piling up as families seek to cremate their deceased.
“Yesterday, we cremated over 300 bodies. This morning, more than 200 have already been processed,” a resident at a cremation site told Myanmar Now, requesting anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the situation.
Crematoriums are operating at full capacity, with some families resorting to cremating loved ones outside designated burial grounds, according to a Myanmar Now reporter on the ground.
“At first, they were cremating one by one, but now there are so many that people have started arranging their own cremations outside the cemeteries,” the reporter said.
Funeral vehicles continued to arrive, including those carrying deceased Buddhist monks, a significant portion of Mandalay’s population.
Some cemeteries have halted accepting new bodies, redirecting families to alternative locations, residents said.
The Myanmar military junta reported on March 29 that the nationwide death toll had reached 1,644, with over 3,000 injured and 139 missing. The opposition National Unity Government (NUG) confirmed casualties in areas under its control, including 18 deaths in Sagaing, four in Shwebo, five in Wetlet, 21 in Singu, and one in Yinmabin.
Rescue efforts are ongoing, with many still trapped in rubble across Mandalay, Sagaing, and Naypyitaw. Aid organizations have called for unrestricted humanitarian access to the affected regions.
