Efforts by the UAE to help find survivors after the earthquake in Myanmar reflect the Emirates' commitment to helping those in need, a senior official involved with the operation has said.
The death toll from the magnitude-7.7 earthquake climbed to 3,471 on Sunday, with 4,671 injured and 214 missing, state media said.
Brig Salem Al Dhaheri, director general of the Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority, said the participation of the UAE Search and Rescue Team embodies the country's humanitarian approach, regardless of geography or challenges.
Col Muzaffar Al Ameri, commander of the UAE Search and Rescue Team, told The National that the country has sent 119 people to support the effort in Myanmar.
“In addition to search and rescue efforts, we are currently coordinating with the authorities to see to which extent we can help with providing medical materials and support, and distributing food and shelter to people affected,” he said.
The Myanmar government on Sunday honoured the UAE Search and Rescue Team in a ceremony hosted by Dr Soe Win, the country’s minister of social welfare. He praised Col Al Ameri and Lieutenant Colonel Hamad Mohammed Al Kaabi, deputy team commander.
The emergency team was directed to provide support this week by President Sheikh Mohamed.
“The UAE search and rescue team, comprising Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority, Abu Dhabi Police, UAE National Guard and Joint Operations Command, is continuing to support those affected by the earthquake in Myanmar by providing relief, demonstrating UAE’s global humanitarian aid efforts,” Abu Dhabi Media Office reported on Friday morning.
“The search and rescue operation will take place across six locations in Myanmar, with teams working in rotating morning and evening shifts to expedite response efforts and reach as many affected areas as possible.”
The efforts of the search and rescue team from the Emirates are already paying off, the UAE National Guard said on Instagram.
“The team is conducting search and rescue operations with advanced technology to locate trapped victims and assist with evacuations in co-ordination with local authorities,” it said.
“Their efforts have resulted in recovering several bodies, reinforcing the UAE’s commitment to humanitarian aid and disaster response worldwide.”
The UAE team played a key role in the rescue of three elderly survivors at Ottara Thiri private hospital in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw on Thursday, according to reports from the website vietnamnews.vn.
Teams from the UAE, Myanmar and Vietnam were said to have worked together in the rescue operation, with sniffer dogs from the UAE team being deployed to locate survivors.
The shallow earthquake flattened buildings across the South-East Asian country, prompting the international community to come to its aid.
Myanmar's military leaders announced a temporary ceasefire to make relief operations easier.
The military government said it would observe a ceasefire until April 22 after other armed groups fighting the country's four-year civil war made similar pledges. The junta said the ceasefire had “the aim of speeding up relief and reconstruction efforts, and maintaining peace and stability”.
Rights groups and several foreign governments had earlier condemned the leaders for continuing to carry out air strikes as the country dealt with the quake aftermath.
There are also fears that destroyed buildings will collapse fruther and complicate efforts to recover bodies.
Aid experts warn that rain and scorching heat increase the risk of disease outbreaks at outdoor camps where victims are in temporary shelter.
UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said that food, water and power repairs were needed urgently, in a video filmed in Mandalay and posted to X on Sunday. Many people in the area are still without shelter, he said, describing the scale of damage in the area as "epic". "We need to get tents and hope to survivors as they rebuild their shattered lives," Mr Fletcher wrote in another post.
Relief efforts have also been complicated by unreliable communication networks and infrastructure heavily damaged by four years of civil war in Myanmar.
Even before the recent quake, the humanitarian crisis in the country was severe, with the persistent, multi-sided conflict displacing 3.5 million people, according to the UN.
Aid efforts in Myanmar – in pictures
