Catholic aid agencies move in to help victims of devastating Myanmar earthquake
The quake struck 16 kilometers (10 miles) north northwest of the town of Sagaing, in central Myanmar, at around 12:50 p.m. local time (2:20 a.m. ET), according to the United States Geological Survey. Its magnitude of 7.7 would make it one of the most powerful quakes to hit the region in recent times; a 6.4-magnitude aftershock hit 12 minutes later.
Tremors and aftershocks were felt across hundreds of miles of Southeast Asia. It toppled a building in the Thai capital, Bangkok, and sparked a race to save civilians and infrastructure near the epicenter.
The quake hit near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city and home to about 1.6 million people, but assessing the impact is difficult in a country in the throes of civil war, and where internet freedom has been throttled.
Myanmar is one of Asia’s poorest nations, and is still is reeling from a civil war sparked by a 2021 military coup. Weak infrastructure makes it ill-equipped to deal with major natural disasters. Swathes of the country are run by a patchwork of militias, making it extremely difficult to gather reliable information. The military also regularly cuts communications in conflict zones.
Early this morning Catholic organisations mobilised to assess damage and casualties caused by an earthquake and aftershocks in northeastern Myanmar and northern Thailand, according to the Asian church news agency UCA News.
A team of five from Karuna Kengtung, the church’s charitable agency in the Diocese of Kengtung, arrived on the scene March 25 to collect data, said Daw Rose Mary, executive secretary of Karuna Myanmar Social Services in Yangon.
Others were purchasing food and supplies to take to the quake-affected areas, said a Kengtung Karuna staff member.
Quoting local sources, The Irrawaddy, a dissident newspaper, said that the military junta removed large numbers of wounded in order to minimise the number of people affected. On Saturday, the hospital in Tachilek had hundreds of quake patients, 700 according to internal sources, but the next day, they were gone. Hospital staff and other patients said they were “sent away” by local authorities without explanation.
In the meantime, the Burmese Catholic Church is actively involved in relief operations in the earthquake zone through the Karuna Kengtung Social Service.
Speaking to AsiaNews, Fr Stephen Ano said that just in the diocese of Kengtung (Shan State), major damages were reported in Tachilek, Tarlay, Mong Lin, Na Yaung and the village of Mong Khone.
About “450 houses were destroyed” and “at least 120 people were wounded”, eventually taken to hospitals in Tachilek and Kengtung, because the “hospital in Tarlay was destroyed.”
At least “14 places of worship have collapsed”, including churches and Buddhist temples. The parish centre founded by Fr Vismara was totally destroyed, leaving only a newly constructed clergy house standing.
At least nine government buildings were also destroyed, including schools and a hospital.
Five days after the quake, many people are “still missing.”
Through AsiaNews, Fr Stephen pleaded for help. “We need temporary shelters for the displaced,” he said. “We accept everyone, irrespective of race and creed,” but “we even lack cooking utensils.”
Since “We must provide medical care and treatment to the wounded that are not hospitalised,” he said, “any contribution towards relief and rehabilitation work is very much appreciated.”
