MYANMAR: When Friday’s powerful earthquake struck central Myanmar, Htet Min Oo was performing ritual ablutions before Ramazan prayers at a mosque next to his house in Mandalay.
His home collapsed along with part of the mosque, trapping half his body with the rubble of a wall that buried two of his aunts. Residents raced to pull the aunts out, he said, but only one survived.
Htet Min Oo, 25, said two uncles and his grandmother were also trapped under piles of concrete. With no heavy equipment available, he tried desperately to clear the rubble with his hands but could not shift it.
“I don’t know if they are still alive under the debris. After so long, I don’t think there’s any hope,” he said on Friday.
“There’s too much rubble and no rescue teams have come for us,” he added, his voice shaking as he broke into tears.
