Myanmar earthquake: Military regime targeting ‘civilian areas’ with airstrikes in wake of disaster, armed group claims | World News

An armed resistance group in Myanmar has accused the ruling military government of continuing to carry out air strikes in “civilian areas” in the wake of the great earthquake in the country.

The 7.7 earthquake struck near the city of Mandalay on Friday at about 12.50 m local time (6.20 hours of British time), while Myanmar is in a bloody civil war.

The death toll of the earthquake is at 1,700, with 3.400 others injured and 300 missing, according to the pro-military government channels, with reference to the country’s rulers.

But the predictive modeling of the US Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that the number of dead will increase in thousands and reach 10,000.

This comes because rescue and assistance efforts in the country were hampered by the ongoing civil war, which has raged since 2021.

The Karen National Union (KNU), one of the oldest ethnic armies of Myanmar, said in a statement that the military government, known as a junta, continues to “carry out air strikes aimed at civilian areas”.

It is said that the strikes come “even if the population suffers tremendously from the earthquake”.

The KNU said that under normal circumstances, the military would prioritize the assistance efforts after an earthquake, but that it was focused on “the deployment of powers to attack its people”.

The Free Burma Rangers, a relief organization, said military jets launched air strikes and drone attacks in Karen State, near the Knu headquarters, in the south of the country, shortly after the earthquake on Friday.

It came before there were reports on mortar and drone attacks on Saturday.

The junta has not confirmed whether it has performed strikes since the disaster.

The epicenter of the earthquake was in an area held by the Junta forces, but the devastation was widespread and also influenced an area by armed resistance movements.

The opposition national unity government, which includes the remains of the government in a coup in 2021, said on Sunday that anti-Junta militates under his command would interrupt all offensive military action for two weeks.

Richard Horsey, the senior Myanmar adviser at Crisis Group, who works to resolve armed conflicts, said some anti-Junta forces stopped their insults, but the fights continue elsewhere.

“The regime also launches air strikes, also in the areas concerned. It must stop,” he said.

He claims that the junta does not provide much visible support in the earthquake areas.

“Local firefighters, ambulance staff and community organizations have mobilized, but the military – which would normally be mobilized to support in such a crisis – is nowhere to be seen,” Mr Horsey said.

The junta broke his self -imposed insulation to ask for help From the outside world to the earthquake. However, the country’s inaccessibility is likely to remain a major obstacle to helping efforts.

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The junta said the earthquake is one of Myanmar’s strongest in a century – While the USGS is suggested that financial losses due to disaster could exceed the country’s annual economic production.

While emergency rescue teams begin to make the earthquake in the area disappear, efforts were hampered by damaged roads, closed bridges, poor communication and the challenges of working in a country in the middle of a civil war.

Many areas have not yet been reached.

Most rescue occurs within the first 24 hours after a disaster, with the chance of survival decreasing as every day passes.

Pleasant Thailand was also shaken, as in the capital, Bangkok, where 18 people died, including 11 who died when a skyscraper collapsed under the construction. At least 76 people are missing and presumably trapped under the rubble.

According to the Chinese state media, twelve Chinese citizens are one of the injured.

An initial report on Earthquake Aid efforts issued on Saturday by the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian matters noted the serious damage or destruction of many health facilities in Myanmar.

And it warned that a “serious shortage of medical supplies hampered the reaction efforts, including trauma sites, blood bags, drugs, tools, essential medicines and tents for health professionals”.

India, China and Thailand are one of the neighbors who sent tools and teams, along with help and staff.

The British government has announced a £ 10m package to support the people of Myanmar in the wake of the earthquake.

Four years of civil war

Myanmar has been locked in a 2021 coup in a conflict with multiple armed opposition groups, when the military grabbed the power of the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Many places are now dangerous or impossible for help groups to reach.

According to the United Nations, more than three million people have been displaced by the fighting and nearly 20 million are in need.