By Mya Thae (Research)

A STRONG earthquake hit central Myanmar at 12:51 pm on 28 March 2025. It was a Sabbath day. My sister and I observed the Nine Precepts. My sister was telling beads, and I lis­tened to a sermon on TV. We did not notice that the earthquake had hit. A few minutes later, Ma Thawdar from my street phoned me to say that the earthquake had hit. Our house is on the ground floor, so we did not notice the earthquake. It was a powerful earthquake that struck, causing significant tremors. As a result, residents suffered injuries and fatalities, and numerous homes and buildings were destroyed. The earthquake hit Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway and Bago regions, as well as the Nay Pyi Taw Council Area and northern Shan State. The National Dis­aster Management Committee declared the affected areas an emergency zone.

A lot of buildings, including the old Sagaing Bridge across the Ayeyawady River, were damaged, leaving casualties. Hospitals in the Mandalay and Sagaing Re­gions are full of patients. These hospitals urgently need blood for patients. Authorities have urged volunteers to donate blood to help save lives and treat the injured in time. Hence, people have to lend a helping hand to each other.

Such an earthquake jolted not only parts of Myanmar but also some areas of China, Thai­land, Laos, Bangladesh, and In­dia, among others. Hence, local and global donors need to provide necessary aid to the earthquake victims of Myanmar to help their lives. Help to create a safe and stable environment for the peo­ple.

Rescue teams from India, Singapore, Russia, China, Thai­land, Vietnam as well and Ma­laysia arrived in Myanmar and distributed relief supplies to the victims. So, the Myanmar peo­ple will never forget their good neighbourliness and ASEAN spirit at an important time to ease the tension of the earth­quake in Myanmar.

The State Administration Council expressed its deep grat­itude for the support and assis­tance provided in response to the earthquake disasters in Myan­mar. This includes expressions of sympathy, the deployment of emergency rescue teams, the provision of relief supplies and aid messages of condolence, words of encouragement and solidarity actions. The council also appreciates active participa­tion in rescue and relief efforts. It firmly believes and expects continuous cooperation until Myanmar’s recovery and recon­struction efforts are complete.

It is very pleasing to see for­eign and local well-wishers and other helpers deeply helping the earthquake victims. I also call them well done with thankfully. It is the best time to donate from the heart.

Ref: The GNLM