Source: Doctors Without Borders –
A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar on Friday March 28, with tremors felt across Myanmar and Thailand. The epicenter was close to Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city. The full scale of damage is unknown, but early reports state more than 100 people were killed and hundreds injured.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams working in Myanmar and Thailand are safe and accounted for.
Paul Brockmann, MSF’s operations manager for Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Malaysia gave the following statement.
“Our medical humanitarian staff in Myanmar and neighboring countries have the capacity to respond at scale to the needs of affected communities as soon as authorities facilitate swift and unhindered access for teams to do assessments and provide medical care.
Given the scale and intensity of the earthquake, the impact on people could be devastating, particularly for those who require immediate lifesaving assistance due to trauma injuries. We’re also concerned about those who will be vulnerable after losing shelter, access to general health care, and safe drinking water, which is crucial to control the possible spread of waterborne diseases.
The ability to deploy assessment teams and, ideally, surgical capacity, are critical in the first hours and days after any earthquake if we hope to respond with life and limb-saving surgical care for people injured.
To enable an effective response, swift access to affected areas and timely approval of essential supplies and personnel are critical.”
MSF in Myanmar
MSF has been working in Myanmar since 1992, with focus on providing HIV and tuberculosis care, emergency responses to national disasters and conflict, as well as support to the persecuted Rohingya population in Rakhine state.