Myanmar’s ruling military has declared a temporary ceasefire in the country’s civil war to facilitate relief efforts following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that has killed more than 3000 people.
The surprise announcement by military leaders who also head the unelected government came late on Wednesday on state television MRTV, which said the halt in fighting would run until April 22 to show compassion for people affected by Friday’s quake.
The announcement followed unilateral temporary ceasefires announced by armed resistance groups opposed to military rule, and the military warned that those groups must refrain from attacking the state and regrouping, or else face “necessary” measures.
The resistance forces have also reserved the right to fight in self-defence.
Earlier on Wednesday, rescuers pulled two men alive from the ruins of a hotel in Myanmar’s capital, a third from a guesthouse in another city, and another in the country’s second city, Mandalay, five days after the quake. But most teams were finding only bodies.
Before and after: Satellite images show destruction caused by Myanmar earthquake
The quake hit midday last Friday, toppling thousands of buildings, collapsing bridges and buckling roads. The death toll rose to 3003 on Wednesday, with more than 4500 people injured, MRTV reported.
Local reports suggest much higher figures.
The quake worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis due to Myanmar’s civil war.
More than 3 million people had been displaced from their homes and nearly 20 million were in need even before it hit, according to the United Nations.
Dramatic rescue in Myanmar capital
In the capital, Naypyitaw, a team of Turkish and local rescue workers used an endoscopic camera to locate Naing Lin Tun on a lower floor of the damaged hotel where he worked.
They pulled him gingerly through a hole jackhammered through a floor and loaded him on to a gurney nearly 108 hours after he was first trapped.
Shirtless and covered in dust, he appeared weak but conscious in a video released by the local fire department, as he was fitted with an IV drip and taken away.
State-run MRTV reported later in the day that another man was saved from the same building, more than 121 hours after the quake struck. Both were age 26.
Another man, a 47-year-old primary school principal, was rescued by a team of Malaysian and local crews from a collapsed guesthouse in the Sagaing township, near the epicentre of the earthquake close to Myanmar’s second-largest city, Mandalay, where a fourth rescue was reported on Wednesday night.
The earthquake also rocked neighbouring Thailand, causing the collapse of a high-rise building under construction in Bangkok. One body was removed from the rubble early on Wednesday, raising the death total in Bangkok to 22 with 35 injured, primarily at the construction site.
Resistance groups have announced ceasefires
Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into significant armed resistance.
Ceasefires had been announced earlier this week by the People’s Defence Force, which is the armed wing of the shadow opposition National Unity Government, and the Three Brotherhood Alliance, a trio of ethnic minority guerrilla armies.
That had put pressure on the military government to follow suit, said Morgan Michaels, a Singapore-based analyst with the International Institute of Strategic Studies.
It’s too early to say whether a pause in fighting could lead to something longer lasting, he said. “It would require very deft and active diplomacy to transform a humanitarian pause into something more lasting. And that’s not guaranteed,” Morgans said.
More international aid heads to Myanmar
Countries have pledged millions of dollars in assistance to help Myanmar and humanitarian aid organisations with the monumental task ahead, while also sending in specialist search and rescue teams and setting up field hospitals.
India and China, both neighbours of Myanmar that compete for influence there, have been especially quick and generous with assistance. Multiple other countries have sent teams, including Turkey, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia.
The US government has pledged $US2 million in emergency aid and sent a three-person team to assess how best to respond given drastic cuts to US foreign assistance.
United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that continuing aftershocks are complicating humanitarian response efforts. In Mandalay City, many people are completely cut off from electricity and running water.
“People affected continue to need urgent healthcare and medical supplies, safe drinking water, food and other critical items,” Dujarric said.
“Tents and temporary shelter are needed, as well as latrines and other hygiene items, to prevent disease outbreaks.”
