A Perfect Storm: Myanmar Earthquake
Junta bombing opponents while civilians plead for help
A unilateral partial ceasefire to facilitate earthquake relief efforts was announced on Saturday by Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government, which coordinates the popular struggle against the ruling military. The country’s death toll from the disaster soared to 1,644. The figure was a sharp rise compared to the 1,002 announced just hours earlier, highlighting the difficulty of confirming casualties over a widespread region and the likelihood that the numbers will continue to grow from Friday’s 7.7 magnitude quake. The number of injured increased to 3,408, while the missing figure rose to 139 - AP
In other earthquake disaster developments:
Speaking to the BBC, Francesca Capoluongo from the International Federation of the Red Cross in Myanmar said millions of people are at risk following yesterday's earthquake. She says "the initial estimates suggest that over 18 million people live within the earthquake impacted area, so of course we can expect these figures to keep increasing.
Teams from the military junta’s closest allies - China, India and Russia - are on their way to assist with rescue and recovery efforts. Neighboring ASEAN countries have also pledged aid.
Myanmar's junta has issued a rare appeal for international aid, and disaster response teams from Russia, China, Singapore and India flying in on Saturday. But rights activists raised fears that aid would not reach people on the ground, as the regime has a history of blocking relief to parts of the country controlled by opposition groups. Thomas Andrews, the United Nations (UN) special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that the military’s response to a recent cyclone and typhoon showed its "willingness to weaponize aid in the midst of natural disasters". Reuters reported in December that the junta intimidated aid agencies and suppressed information about a severe food crisis gripping the country by pressuring researchers not to collect data about hunger. In Mandalay, residents interviewed by Reuters said they had not yet received any assistance from military authorities. One rescue worker said on Saturday they had borrowed machinery from businesses to help sift through the rubble. He said they had received nothing from the military government but declined to elaborate for fear of retribution.Some residents were appealing for machinery on Facebook. One wrote that members of their family had been crushed under the rubble of a mosque and "we desperately want to recover their bodies…We need to rent a crane to remove the heavy concrete blocks. If anyone has information on where we can rent one, please contact us," they wrote - Bangkok Post
Thai troops will be dispatched to Myanmar to assist rescue and recovery efforts. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra instructed Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai to consider mobilising military forces for earthquake relief in Myanmar. A search and rescue team, along with medical personnel and supplies, comprising 49 members from the Thai armed forces, will be sent aboard a C-130 aircraft of the Thai air force on Sunday - Bangkok Post
A huge hole in disaster assistance is expected from the global pullback of USAID, which previously provided about one-quarter of aid to the impoverished country. China and Russia are the largest providers of military equipment to the junta and both are assiduously courting the generals for access to their natural resources and China, especially, for corridors for energy.
The military council has continued airstrikes and drone attacks after the earthquake in Myanmar, including one in the Sagaing region which has seen extensive damage and casualties from the quake.
Flight bookings between Canada and the United States have “collapsed” amid President Donald Trump’s trade war, according to an analysis by aviation data tracker OAG. John Grant, the company’s chief analyst, wrote that future passenger bookings are “down by over 70% in every month through to the end of September” compared to last year. “Unfortunately, the law of unintended consequences is once again impacting the airline industry adding to what had already become a softening market,” Grant wrote. Preliminary data from Statistics Canada releasedlast week showed Canadians took 13 percent fewer trips to the United States by air in February than they did the same month in 2024. Trump launched the latest salvo in his trade war Wednesday, announcing a 25 percent tariff on auto imports beginning April 2. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called the announcement a “direct attack” during a press conference - Daily Beast
A U.S. passenger flight preparing to leave the nation’s capital and an incoming military jet received instructions to divert and prevent a possible collision, officials said. Delta Air Lines Flight 2983 was cleared for takeoff at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Friday around 3:15 p.m., the same time four U.S. Air Force T-38 Talon aircraft were inbound, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. The jets were heading for a flyover of Arlington National Cemetery when the Delta aircraft received an onboard alert of a nearby aircraft. Air traffic controllers “issued corrective instructions to both aircraft,” according to the FAA, which intends to investigate. The Airbus A319 with 131 passengers, two pilots and three flight attendants was embarking on a regularly scheduled flight between Reagan and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Delta Airlines said - AP
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