One Taiwanese woman died in the collapse of the Great Wall Hotel Mandalay following the March 28 earthquake, according to Myanmar Taiwan Business Association Secretary-General Lo Chen-hua (羅振華). Lo, who is based in the region, said in an interview on Wednesday that about 80% of hotels in the disaster zone are no longer habitable, and much of the area lacks power.
Lo says the association has provided tents, food, and other supplies to aid disaster victims and tourists. However, high temperatures and collapsed roadways have made disaster relief difficult; essentials such as masks, body bags, and tetanus vaccines are also in short supply, and the heat increases the spread of dengue fever.
The Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society (LJM) has also endeavored to deliver aid to the area. Since March 30, Burmese-born Taiwanese Buddhist monk Ashin Shih Hsin Tao (心道) has been working from a tent at a relay station between Yangon and Bagan providing porridge to nearby residents. LJM Founder Hsin Tao, says aftershocks continue to affect the area and many roads, railway tracks, and other infrastructure are severely damaged.
More than 2,700 have died and hundreds more are still missing after last Friday’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake, according to Myanmar’s military chief Min Aung Hlaing. These numbers are expected to rise as rescuers venture deeper into the disaster zone.