A friend in need is a friend indeed

Belarusian rescuers and medics have helped to eliminate the consequences of the devastating earthquake in Myanmar

mchs.gov.by

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on March 28th. At least 3,600 people have been killed in a powerful earthquake in Myanmar. It is also known that more than 5,000 people have been injured and at least 160 are missing. The country’s authorities have declared a week of national mourning for the victims of the disaster. The tremors were felt in neighbouring states: China, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Vietnam. In Thailand, at least 29 people have died and about 30 are missing.
In Myanmar, rescuers, dog specialists and medics from the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry have worked around the clock to deal with the aftermath of the earthquake and help people. They were working in Mandalay, the country’s worst-hit city.
Despite the difficulties posed by the high temperatures (the air can reach +42°C during the day), the ongoing aftershocks and the constant danger of damaged buildings collapsing, the work at each site was being carried out carefully and meticulously, with every metre of the area being searched for survivors, using all possible combinations and methods.
To find people under the rubble, the Emergencies Ministry specialists used a wide range of equipment. Their arsenal included a radar detector — a device that detects vibration, movement and breathing; a video endoscope, which allows remote monitoring of hard-to-reach places using a camera on a flexible extension cord; a thermal imager; and a device that monitors the position of unstable structures. Rescuers used these tools to examine the rubble, identify voids where people could be trapped and search for victims. At the same time, dog training teams were working: four-legged rescuers were trained to detect people even under massive building debris.

 




 








 


mchs.gov.by


Rescuers of the Republican Special Response Team ZUBR were searching for the victims together with Russian and Chinese colleagues.
Members of the ZUBR medical team provided medical assistance to people trapped in the rubble during and after a rescue operation, performed initial examinations of people pulled out of the rubble before handing them over to local first responders, and monitored the health and provided medical assistance to rescue team members and sniffer dogs.
“Our task is to provide assistance on the scene: immobilisation, anti-shock therapy, pain relief. We have all the necessary medications and equipment for this, including sophisticated medical devices. We also have the necessary supplies of antiseptics, disinfectants and water disinfection to maintain normal epidemiological conditions in places of temporary deployment,” said Yuri Geleklidi, a doctor with the Republican Special Response Team ZUBR of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry. 
On behalf of the President of Belarus, the Ministry of Emergency Situations formed and delivered humanitarian aid to the residents of Myanmar affected by the earthquake as soon as possible. As part of the gratuitous assistance, a cargo weighing 20 tons was transferred. It includes sets of frame tents, blankets and food.
Myanmar’s PM Min Aung Hlaing visited the camp of the Belarusian search and rescue team and thanked the Belarusian rescuers for their help in dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake.