13 days after a massive earthquake struck Japan, a powerful 6.8 magnitude quake hit the town of Tarley in Myanmar. Due to the remoteness of the stricken area, rescuers in Myanmar are slowly reaching thousands of survivors in quake affected villages near the Thai border.
Tarley, the hardest hit area, is about 50 kilometers away from Myanmar and Thai border. At least 75 people have been killed in the earthquake, with transport supplies finding it difficult to get in due to damaged infrastructure. Thousands of people are now living in makeshift shelters. Strong aftershocks continue, being felt in the border areas of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos.
Sai Ba Aung, Earthquake victim, said, "We had a lot of people die here and we still feel aftershocks. Transportation is very difficult and we are drinking dirty water and cannot get clean food for our children, We need a lot of help."
So far, there has been no official increase in the toll from Friday's figure of 74. UN aid officials have said Myanmar has been active with co-ordination and have been fast in their reaction to the crisis. Also, Myanmar state media said that relief supplies and resettlement minister Maung Maung Shwe, had left the capital to assist those in affected areas.