Medical supplies in great need as international assistance flows into Myanmar after earthquake

BANGKOK (AP) — Emergency assistance has streamed into Southeast Asia successful the 2 days since a monolithic earthquake struck Myanmar and Thailand. Relief efforts are focused connected Myanmar, wherever the estimated decease toll roseate to 1,644 by Sunday afternoon.

The fig of dormant from Friday’s 7.7 magnitude quake is expected to increase, portion the fig of injured was astatine 3,408 and the missing fig roseate was 139 connected Sunday. The earthquake's epicenter was adjacent Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest metropolis with 1.5 cardinal people. In neighboring Thailand, the decease toll roseate to 17.

While food, medicine and different captious supplies person reached Myanmar, a study issued Saturday by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said rescue efforts person been hampered by a terrible shortage of aesculapian supplies including trauma kits, humor bags, anesthetics, assistive devices, indispensable medicine and tents to location wellness workers.

“We fearfulness it whitethorn beryllium weeks earlier we recognize the afloat grade of demolition caused by this earthquake,” said Mohammed Riyas, the IRC’s Myanmar director.

Here is simply a look astatine immoderate of the contributions successful supplies, unit and monetary enactment and the nations and groups providing assistance:

Direct assistance by nations

On Sunday, a convoy of 17 Chinese cargo trucks carrying captious structure and aesculapian supplies was expected to scope Mandalay. China said it has sent much than 135 rescue unit and experts on with supplies similar aesculapian kits, generators, earthquake detectors and drones portion pledging astir $13.8 cardinal successful exigency aid.

Hong Kong connected Saturday dispatched 51 search-and-rescue unit including firefighters and ambulance unit arsenic good arsenic 2 search-and-rescue dogs. The radical brought 9 tons (18,000 pounds) of instrumentality including beingness detectors and an automatic outer tracking antenna system, according to a connection connected the Hong Kong government’s website. The Hong Kong authorities besides volition acceptable speech HK$30 cardinal ($3.9 million) from its Disaster Relief Fund to assistance Myanmar victims.

Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said it had flown successful 120 rescuers and supplies to Yangon, Myanmar’s second-largest city, and Russia’s Health Ministry said Moscow had sent a aesculapian squad that includes specialists successful infectious diseases, resuscitation, traumatology and psychology, arsenic good arsenic hunt and rescue teams with canine units and devices that tin hunt successful rubble with depths arsenic overmuch arsenic 4.5 meters (14.7 feet).

Two Indian C-17 subject transport craft connected Saturday brought successful a tract infirmary portion and immoderate 120 unit who traveled northbound to Mandalay to found a 60-bed exigency attraction center, the country’s Foreign Ministry said. India antecedently said it planned to nonstop 5 aircrafts and 4 ships with alleviation supplies including rescue squad and aesculapian teams.

Malaysia’s overseas ministry said the state would nonstop 50 unit to assistance place and supply assistance to the worst-hit areas.

South Korea said it volition supply $2 cardinal successful humanitarian assistance done planetary organizations.

New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said successful a station connected X that his authorities would enactment alleviation efforts “via the International Red Cross Movement.”

The European Commission said Friday it would merchandise 2.5 cardinal euros ($2.7 million) successful archetypal exigency assistance to assistance with earthquake relief, bringing the European Union's full humanitarian assistance for Myanmar to much than €35 cardinal ($37.8 million) this year.

Ireland announced Saturday the authorities would supply an assistance bundle of €6 cardinal ($6.49 million) with €3 cardinal ($3.2 million) to enactment the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Myanmar Red Cross Society, €1.5 cardinal ($1.6 million) each to the Myanmar Humanitarian Fund and U.N. Refugee Agency Joint Response Plan.

President Donald Trump said Friday the U.S. would assistance with the response, but immoderate experts were acrophobic astir the promised effort fixed his administration’s heavy cuts successful overseas assistance.

Aid agencies contributing

The U.N. humanitarian affairs bureau said it has mobilized with different groups and $5 cardinal has been allocated from a Central Emergency Response Fund for “life-saving assistance.”

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies released 2 cardinal Swiss francs ($2.2 million) successful exigency funds to enactment the organization's enactment successful Myanmar, Jagan Chapagain, the organization's caput wide and CEO, said successful a societal media station Sunday.

Cara Bragg, the Yangon-based manager of Catholic Relief Services successful Myanmar, said alleviation efforts person mostly consisted of section volunteers trying to find loved ones.

Despite the influx of countries sending hunt and rescue teams, "hospitals are truly struggling to header with the influx of injured people, there’s a shortage of aesculapian supplies, and radical are struggling to find nutrient and cleanable water,” Bragg said.