Volunteers and rescue teams say they are continuing their efforts to clear rubble and debris in Pyawbwe, a town in Mandalay Region that was badly affected by the deadly earthquake that struck the region nearly two weeks ago.
Local sources told Myanmar Now on Wednesday that parts of the town remain in ruins and blanketed in dust, as demolition of buildings damaged by the devastating March 28 tremor continues.
“We’re still clearing away all the wreckage. The work isn’t finished yet and will take at least two more months,” a volunteer from Pyawbwe Township said.
The local fire department estimated that 242 people—145 men and 97 women—were killed in Pyawbwe, located about 115 miles south of Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city.
At least 38 people were rescued alive, while 197 others were injured, according to the fire department.
However, residents of Pyawbwe claim the actual number of dead and injured was much higher.
“More than 400 people were killed and around 1,000 injured. That’s just in the urban areas,” said a man from the town.
Nearly 200 houses and other buildings in two densely populated urban wards—Myin Bet and Myo Ma—suffered extensive damage, local sources said.
“Many of the buildings in the downtown area are roughly 80 or 90 years old. Almost all of them collapsed during the quake, leaving many people trapped and injured,” said another local man.
The town hall, which serves as an important venue for community activities, was among the buildings reduced to rubble in the earthquake, locals said.
Mass casualties were reported at a branch of the KBZ Bank and at a mosque in the town’s centre, according to the Pyawbwe Fire Department.
“At least 20 people, including 10 [KBZ Bank] employees, were killed. At least 16 people were pulled alive from the rubble, but three of them died later on the way to the hospital,” a representative from the fire department said.
Local sources said the debris from the mosque has been fully cleared, leaving nothing but bare ground. The death toll at the mosque alone has risen to 54, according to volunteers.
Meanwhile, more than 3,000 people are said to be sheltering at monasteries and other religious buildings in Pyawbwe, as well as in open fields.
Casualties in villages outside of the town remain unclear and are not included in the official death toll, Pyawbwe residents told Myanmar Now on Wednesday.
Humanitarian aid is scarce in the rural areas of Pyawbwe Township, where the destruction was less severe than in the town’s centre.
“Among the victims, there were vendors and workers who commute to the town from surrounding villages. Their families have not received any help yet,” a volunteer said.
While electricity has been restored and residents are once again able to use clean water, other challenges, including soaring construction material prices, remain.
“Before the earthquake, a bag of cement cost around 15,000 kyat. Now, it has risen to 37,000 kyat,” one resident said.
Moreover, public hospitals in Pyawbwe and other nearby towns lack the capacity to treat patients with severe traumatic injuries, forcing many to to turn to private hospitals for more costly care.
“We urgently need donations for medical treatment to those injured in our town,” said a man from Pyawbwe Township.
“One of my colleagues sustained severe leg injuries in the earthquake, but he can’t afford to pay for the ORIF [Open Reduction and Internal Fixation] treatment at a private hospital, which costs 4.7 million kyat.”
