The management of the Great Waw Hotel in Mandalay has begun imposing restrictions on search and rescue operations for trapped victims and recovery of bodies following the building’s collapse during an earthquake on March 28. After initial rescue efforts, the hotel ownership started limiting access to retrieve trapped individuals and deceased victims’ bodies beginning the evening of March 31. This development has raised concerns among families of those still unaccounted for and rescue teams attempting to conduct recovery operations.
To date, only two survivors have been rescued and two bodies recovered from the collapsed hotel structure. The hotel management has prevented further search and rescue operations from continuing. Despite requests from rescue teams and affected families for access to the hotel’s guest registry, hotel authorities have refused to release this information. Additionally, when family members of those trapped and humanitarian organizations proposed conducting their own organized search and rescue efforts, the hotel management denied permission for such operations.
The families of those still missing have expressed growing concern over the hotel’s restrictions on international and local humanitarian rescue teams’ access to the site. They are seeking clear explanations for these limitations on rescue efforts. Some members of the community have speculated that the restrictions might be related to possible illegal activities or unauthorized items stored within the hotel, though these claims remain unverified. The situation has created significant distress among affected families who are desperate for information about their loved ones and access to conduct thorough search and rescue operations.
