Rare Inside Look at Myanmar After Devastating 7.7 Magnitude Earthquake

Devastation in Mandalay

• 🏙️ Mandalay, a densely populated city, took the direct hit of the biggest earthquake to rock Myanmar in a century.
• 📉 Nearly every street witnessed scenes of scale of the devastation following the 7.7 magnitude earthquake.

Undercover Access and Rescue Efforts

• 🗺️ Yogita Limaye of BBC News traveled undercover into Myanmar to report on the situation, as foreign journalists were not allowed entry.
• 🚧 Access to major collapse sites was difficult, but the team managed to see a Buddhist Academy where scores of monks were feared trapped.
• 🇮🇳 Rescuers from India are attempting to dig out trapped individuals, but acknowledge that in such collapses, finding survivors is unlikely.

Challenges and Human Toll

• 🧱 At the Buddhist Academy, monks were trapped when floors collapsed one on top of the other under concrete blocks during the earthquake.
• 🌡️ The rescue operation is made more difficult by the sweltering heat and the pervasive smell of dead bodies.
• ⚠️ Officials warn that heavy rain forecasts could make the already dire situation worse, with the death toll surpassing 3,000.