The Myanmar Fire Services Department has announced that Singapore rescue teams have begun rescue operations on March 30 to help save those trapped in the aftermath of the Naypyidaw earthquake, which has claimed over 230 lives. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Operation Lionheart contingent, comprising 80 specialist rescue personnel, arrived in Myanmar on March 29, bringing with them four search dogs and specialized Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) equipment to assist in the ongoing rescue efforts.
Joint rescue operations are currently underway in Zabuthiri Township’s Thapyaykone Ward, where Myanmar Fire Services Department rescue teams are working alongside Singapore forces to rescue a survivor trapped under a collapsed building on Thitsa 2 Street. In a successful rescue operation on March 30, teams managed to save an elderly woman in her 70s who was trapped under the debris of the collapsed Pinlon Hospital building in Ottarathiri Township. The rescue teams continue to work tirelessly to locate and save any remaining survivors trapped under the rubble.
In another incident in Zabuthiri Township’s Dhanasidi Ward, rescue teams from the local fire station and Pearl auxiliary firefighters discovered the bodies of six victims – two men, three women, and one female child – in the collapsed building number 1307. The rescue operations are ongoing as teams continue their search for potential survivors and victims. The collaborative effort between Myanmar’s fire services and Singapore’s rescue teams demonstrates the international response to this devastating natural disaster, as they work together to save lives and provide essential emergency assistance to those affected by the earthquake.
