Connect with us

INTERNACIONAL

Survivors still being found from Burma earthquake, but hopes begin to fade as deaths exceed 2,700

Published

on


  • A 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocked Burma on Friday, killing more than 2,700 people, compounding a humanitarian crisis caused by a civil war.
  • The death toll is expected to rise, but the earthquake hit a wide swath of the country, leaving many areas without power, telephone or cell connections and damaging roads and bridges, leaving the full extent of the devastation hard to assess.
  • The World Health Organization said more than 10,000 buildings are known to have collapsed or been severely damaged in Burma. The earthquake also hit neighboring Thailand, causing a high-rise building under construction to collapse and burying many workers.

Rescue workers saved a 63-year-old woman from the rubble of a building in Burma’s capital on Tuesday, but hope was fading of finding many more survivors of the violent earthquake that killed more than 2,700 people, compounding a humanitarian crisis caused by a civil war.

The fire department in Naypyitaw said the woman was successfully pulled from the rubble 91 hours after being buried when the building collapsed in the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit midday Friday. Experts say the likelihood of finding survivors drops dramatically after 72 hours.

Death toll numbers forecast to increase

The head of Burma’s military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, told a forum in Naypyitaw, that 2,719 people have now been found dead, with 4,521 others injured and 441 missing, Myanmar’s Western News online portal reported.

Advertisement

BURMA-THAILAND EARTHQUAKE: PATRICK SCHWARZENEGGER, ‘WHITE LOTUS’ CAST SEND PRAYERS AS DEATH TOLL PASSES 1,000

Those figures are widely expected to rise, but the earthquake hit a wide swath of the country, leaving many areas without power, telephone or cell connections and damaging roads and bridges, leaving the full extent of the devastation hard to assess.

Most of the reports so far have come from Mandalay, Burma’s second-largest city, which was near the epicenter of the earthquake, and Naypyitaw.

Advertisement

«The needs are massive, and they are rising by the hour,» said Julia Rees, UNICEF’s deputy representative for Burma.

Burma’s rescuers work through rubble of a collapsed building following Friday’s earthquake in Naypyitaw, Burma, on April 1, 2025. (AP Photo)

«The window for lifesaving response is closing. Across the affected areas, families are facing acute shortages of clean water, food, and medical supplies.»

Advertisement

Burma’s fire department said that 403 people have been rescued in Mandalay and 259 bodies have been found so far. In one incident alone, 50 Buddhist monks who were taking a religious exam in a monastery were killed when the building collapsed and 150 more are thought to be buried in the rubble.

Structural damage is extensive

The World Health Organization said that more than 10,000 buildings overall are known to have collapsed or been severely damaged in central and northwest Burma.

The earthquake also rocked neighboring Thailand, causing a high-rise building under construction to collapse and burying many workers.

Advertisement

Two bodies were pulled from the rubble on Monday and another was recovered Tuesday, but dozens were still missing. Overall, there were 21 people killed and 34 injured in Bangkok, primarily at the construction site.

In Burma, search and rescue efforts across the affected area paused briefly at midday on Tuesday as people stood for a minute in silent tribute to the dead.

MASSIVE 7.7 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE ROCKS THAILAND, BURMA, COLLAPSING BUILDINGS AND KILLING MORE THAN 1,000

Advertisement

Relief efforts moving at a sluggish pace

Foreign aid workers have been arriving slowly to help in the rescue efforts, but progress was still slow with a lack of heavy machinery in many places.

In one site in Naypyitaw on Tuesday, workers formed a human chain, passing chunks of brick and concrete out hand-by-hand from the ruins of a collapsed building.

The Burma military government’s official Global New Light of Burma reported Tuesday that a team of Chinese rescuers saved four people the day before from the ruins of the Sky Villa, a large apartment complex that collapsed during the quake. They included a 5-year-old and a pregnant woman who had been trapped for more than 60 hours.

Advertisement

The same publication also reported two teenagers were able to crawl out of the rubble of the same building to where rescue crews were working, using their cellphone flashlights to help guide them. The rescue workers were then able to use details from what they told them to locate their grandmother and sibling.

International rescue teams from several countries are on the scene, including from Russia, China, India, the United Arab Emirates and several Southeast Asian countries. The U.S. Embassy said an American team had been sent but hadn’t yet arrived.

Aid pledges pouring in as officials warn of disease outbreak risk

Meantime, multiple countries have pledged millions in aid to assist Burma and humanitarian aid organizations with the monumental task ahead.

Advertisement

Even before the earthquake, more than 3 million people had been displaced from their homes by Burma’s brutal civil war, and nearly 20 million were in need, according to the U.N.

Many were already lacking in basic medical care and standard vaccinations, and the destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure by the earthquake raises the risk of disease outbreaks, warned the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

«The displacement of thousands into overcrowded shelters, coupled with the destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure, has significantly heightened the risk of communicable disease outbreaks,» OCHA said in its latest report.

Advertisement

«Vulnerability to respiratory infections, skin diseases, vector-borne illnesses such as dengue fever, and vaccine-preventable diseases like measles is escalating,» it added.

The onset of monsoon season also a worry

Shelter is also a major problem, especially with the monsoon season looming.

Since the earthquake, many people have been sleeping outside, either because homes were destroyed or out of fear of aftershocks.

Advertisement

Civil war complicates disaster relief

Burma’s military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into significant armed resistance and a brutal civil war.

Government forces have lost control of much of Burma, and many places were dangerous or impossible for aid groups to reach even before the quake.

Military attacks and those from some anti-military groups have not stopped in the aftermath of the earthquake, though the shadow opposition National Unity Government has called a unilateral ceasefire for its forces.

Advertisement

BURMESE GOVERNMENT DENIES CLAIMS IT KILLED 76 VILLAGERS

The NUG, established by elected lawmakers who were ousted in 2021, called for the international community to ensure humanitarian aid is delivered directly to the earthquake victims, urging «vigilance against any attempts by the military junta to divert or obstruct humanitarian assistance.»

«We are in a race against time to save lives,» the NUG said in a statement.

Advertisement

«Any obstruction to these efforts will have devastating consequences, not only due to the impact of the earthquake but also because of the junta’s continued brutality, which actively hinders the delivery of lifesaving assistance.»

It wasn’t immediately clear whether the military has been impeding humanitarian aid. In the past, it initially refused to allow in foreign rescue teams or many emergency supplies after Cyclone Nargis in 2008, which resulted in well more than 100,000 deaths. Even once it did allow foreign assistance, it was with severe restrictions.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Advertisement

In this case, however, Min Aung Hlaing, pointedly said on the day of the earthquake that the country would accept outside help.

Tom Andrews, a monitor on rights in Burma commissioned by the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council, said on X that to facilitate aid, military attacks must stop.

«The focus in Burma must be on saving lives, not taking them,» he said.

Advertisement


Advertisement

INTERNACIONAL

Protección Civil de El Salvador desplegará 342 guardavidas durante la Semana Santa

Published

on


El malecón y parque de diversiones en La Libertad atrae a cientos de turistas anualmente./(Ministerio de Obras Públicas).

Con la llegada de la Semana Santa, El Salvador ha puesto en marcha un amplio dispositivo de prevención y protección ciudadana en el marco del denominado “Plan Verano”, cuyo eje central será el despliegue de 342 guardavidas de la Unidad de Guardavidas de Protección Civil. Esta medida busca proteger a los miles de visitantes que se prevé acudirán a las 34 playas, siete parques recreativos y dos lagos más concurridos del país durante este periodo vacacional.

El director de Protección Civil, Luis Alonso Amaya, detalló que estos 342 profesionales de salvamento acuático estarán distribuidos en 180 puntos de monitoreo, con el objetivo de fortalecer la vigilancia y la capacidad de respuesta ante incidentes en zonas turísticas de alta afluencia. Amaya subrayó que los guardavidas forman parte de un esfuerzo interinstitucional más amplio, que involucra a diversas entidades del Sistema Nacional de Protección Civil, cuyo trabajo se articulará desde el Centro de Operaciones de Emergencia (COE), habilitado desde hoy hasta el 6 de abril.

Advertisement

El despliegue de los guardavidas representa solo una parte del dispositivo que el Gobierno ha dispuesto para estas fechas. La estrategia contempla la instalación de puestos de mando en Sonsonate y San Salvador, donde históricamente se registra una importante concentración de feligreses y turistas, especialmente desde el Jueves Santo hasta el Domingo de Resurrección. Las autoridades prevén que la llegada masiva de visitantes aumente los riesgos asociados a actividades acuáticas y recreativas, por lo que la presencia de personal capacitado y recursos estratégicamente ubicados resulta esencial para la prevención y atención de emergencias.

El lago de Coatepeque es uno de los destinos más visitados durante la temporada de Semana Santa por turistas nacionales e internacionales.
El lago de Coatepeque es uno de los destinos más visitados durante la temporada de Semana Santa por turistas nacionales e internacionales.

En paralelo a la labor de los guardavidas, el Sistema Nacional de Protección Civil suma alrededor de 100,000 personas movilizadas para atender las distintas tareas de control, prevención, vigilancia y respuesta inmediata. Este contingente incluye equipos del Ministerio de Salud (Minsal), el Fondo Solidario para la Salud (Fosalud), la Superintendencia de Regulación Sanitaria (SRS), la Policía Nacional Civil (PNC), la Fuerza Armada, el Cuerpo de Bomberos, la Cruz Roja salvadoreña y el Sistema de Emergencias Médicas (SEM).

El director del Sistema de Emergencias Médicas, Carlos Orellana, informó que habrá 17 bases operativas a escala nacional, de las cuales 15 son terrestres, una aérea y una marítima. Además, se contará con más de 100 ambulancias terrestres, así como unidades aéreas y marítimas especializadas para atender cualquier eventualidad. Orellana insistió en la importancia de seguir las recomendaciones de las autoridades en todas las actividades al aire libre para minimizar los riesgos, recordando que la prevención es clave para evitar incidentes que lamentar.

A este dispositivo se suma el Cuerpo de Bomberos, que contará con más de 800 efectivos desplegados en todo el país y más de 170 inspectores encargados de labores preventivas. El director de la institución, Baltazar Solano, señaló que el sistema de respuesta estará disponible las 24 horas y recordó a la ciudadanía que el número de emergencia es el 913. Solano hizo énfasis en la necesidad de respetar las recomendaciones viales, evitar conducir bajo los efectos del alcohol o el uso del celular y respetar los límites de velocidad, ya que las estadísticas muestran un aumento de accidentes y víctimas durante el periodo vacacional.

Advertisement
El director de Protección Civil, Luis Alonso Amaya, brindó declaraciones sobre el despliegue del recurso humano ante las vacaciones de Semana Santa. /(Noticiero El Salvador)
El director de Protección Civil, Luis Alonso Amaya, brindó declaraciones sobre el despliegue del recurso humano ante las vacaciones de Semana Santa. /(Noticiero El Salvador)

En cuanto a las expectativas turísticas, la presidenta del Instituto Salvadoreño de Turismo, Eny Aguiñada, indicó que se espera la llegada de 1.7 millones de visitantes a los distintos sitios públicos administrados por el instituto y otras instituciones, así como al centro histórico y playas públicas. Para el turismo internacional, se proyecta recibir 145,000 visitantes, de los cuales el 38% proviene de Guatemala, el 20% de Honduras, el 28% de Estados Unidos y el 14% del resto del mundo.

La coordinación interinstitucional será fundamental para garantizar que la población y los turistas disfruten de las vacaciones con tranquilidad. Las autoridades han reiterado que el éxito del Plan Verano dependerá tanto del trabajo de los equipos de emergencia como de la colaboración de la ciudadanía, haciendo un llamado a acatar las indicaciones y mantener conductas responsables en todos los espacios públicos.

En suma, el despliegue de 342 guardavidas, junto a la movilización de miles de personas en tareas de prevención y respuesta, conforma el mayor esfuerzo de seguridad y protección civil implementado en El Salvador para unas vacaciones de Semana Santa. El plan busca reducir los riesgos y proteger la vida de los visitantes, en un contexto de alta movilidad y concentración de personas en balnearios y lugares turísticos del país.



corresponsal:Desde San Salvador, El Salvador

Advertisement
Continue Reading

INTERNACIONAL

Mamdani endorses planned NYC ‘No Kings’ rally, derides ICE as ‘rogue agency’

Published

on


NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Friday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be abolished, blasting the federal agency as «rogue» and «reckless» as questions mount over the city’s handling of illegal immigration following the fatal subway killing of an elderly veteran.

Advertisement

During a news conference announcing new street safety efforts, the mayor said he has spoken to President Donald Trump about immigration enforcement operations in the city, claiming ICE a «rogue agency.»

«We’re making clear that no one is above the law in this city, that everyone has to follow the rule of law,» Mamdani said. «I have made clear to the president, both in our private conversations and our public conversations, about the fact that I believe that ICE is a rogue agency.»

Mamdani added that he believes ICE is «reckless» and «delivers nothing toward the furthering of the cause of public safety.»

Advertisement

SHANGHAI SABOTAGE: INSIDE SINGHAM’S SECRET STRATEGY TO DEMONIZE AMERICA

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Friday that ICE should be abolished. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

«I’ve also been public about my belief that ICE is an entity that should be abolished, and that is critically important in our city, where we’ve seen too many New Yorkers living in fear of even going to what would otherwise be routine immigration check ins,» he said. «… What we’ve had in the interim is a federal entity that has been operating with a level of impunity, and that has to come to an end.»

Advertisement

The mayor went on to support protests against the Trump administration, endorsing the «No Kings NYC» protest planned for Saturday in Manhattan.

«I think that rallies are an incredibly effective way for New Yorkers to both organize together and make it clear what their vision is for the city, for the state, for this country,» Mamdani said. «I think that what we’ve seen is that there’s an attempt to make many in our city feel as if they are alone, when they believe that ICE has no place in our city, when they believe that every single New Yorker who lives in this city belongs in this city, and should be made to feel as if such.

DHS EXPOSES BACKGROUND OF NYC CITY COUNCIL EMPLOYEE AFTER MAMDANI FUMED OVER ARREST

Advertisement
Rioters wave American flags in Los Angeles, CA.

Agitators waving flags at a «No Kings» rally in Los Angeles. (SIPA USA)

«What these rallies are — are also an opportunity to realize that you are not in the minority when you have those beliefs. You are, in fact, one of a growing coalition of people who want to see a shred of decency, dignity and humanity come back to our city and our country’s politics.»

Reporters did not question Mamdani about the recent murder of 83-year-old Air Force veteran Richard Williams, who died after he was allegedly shoved onto New York City subway tracks by an illegal immigrant from Honduras. Mamdani has yet to publicly comment on the killing.

When asked if Honduran national Bairon Posada-Hernandez, 34, would be turned over to ICE, the mayor’s office referred Fox News to the Department of Corrections (DOC).

Advertisement

HOMAN SAYS NYC MAYOR MAMDANI ‘MADE IT CLEAR HE’S NOT GOING TO WORK WITH ICE’ ON IMMIGRATION

Mugshot of man who unprovoked shoved two people onto the tracks at a NYC subway system, including elderly Air Force vet in critical condition

Bairon Posada-Herandez, an illegal immigrant, is charged with murder after allegedly shoving Richard Williams, 83, and another man, onto Manhattan subway tracks. Williams died from his injuries days later.  (Getty Images/Department of Homeland Security)

A DOC spokesperson said the agency processes ICE detainers «consistent with local law,» which limits cooperation.

Under city law, ICE is only notified if there is a detainer backed by a judicial warrant (I-200 or I-205), and the person has a qualifying recent conviction for a violent or serious crime.

Advertisement

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

It is unclear if ICE will be notified or take custody of Posada-Hernandez, who has been deported from the U.S. four times, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

DHS officials have asked New York City to cooperate, saying, «Posada-Hernandez is a serial criminal and four-time deported illegal alien who NEVER should have been able to walk our streets and harm innocent Americans. He is now facing murder charges. We are calling on New York sanctuary politicians to not release this murderer. Please join us in praying for Mr. Williams’ family, friends, and loved ones.»

Advertisement

zohran mamdani, new york city, us protests, homeland security, illegal immigrants, donald trump, politics

Continue Reading

INTERNACIONAL

Estados Unidos afirma que dos veleros que partieron de México a Cuba con ayuda llegaron «sanos y salvos»

Published

on


Dos veleros que transportaban ayuda para Cuba desde México y que se habían dado por desaparecidos fueron localizados y han «transitado con seguridad» hasta la isla, informó este viernes la Guardia Costera de Estados Unidos.

«La Guardia Costera de Estados Unidos recibió hoy a las 10:36 (11:36 en Argentina) un informe de que las dos embarcaciones transitaron con seguridad hasta Cuba», declaró a la AFP un vocero, Anthony Randisi, en un comunicado.

Advertisement

La Guardia Costera no participó en las labores de búsqueda de los barcos.

Los veleros identificados como «Friendship» y «Tigger Moth» llevan nueve tripulantes, entre ellos un niño de tres años. Habían partido el 21 de marzo desde Isla Mujeres, cerca de Cancún, para llevar ayuda humanitaria a Cuba, en medio del deterioro económico de la isla. Y estaban reportados como desaparecidos.

La Secretaría de Marina (Semar) de México había informado el jueves que llevaba a cabo un plan de búsqueda y rescate para localizar dos embarcaciones con nueve tripulantes de varias nacionalidades, que habían zarparon el sábado desde Isla Mujeres, en el Caribe mexicano, rumbo a La Habana con ayuda humanitaria, sin que hasta ese momento se tenga comunicación ni confirmación de su arribo.

Advertisement

De acuerdo con la información disponible, dichas embarcaciones «tenían previsto arribar entre los días 24 y 25 de marzo», por lo que se activaron de manera inmediata los protocolos correspondientes, «en cumplimiento de la responsabilidad del Estado mexicano de salvaguardar la vida humana en la mar», indicó la Semar en un comunicado.

El presidente cubano, Miguel Díaz-Canel, expresó el viernes su «especial preocupación» por el paradero de dos veleros.

«Desde nuestro país hacemos todo lo posible en la búsqueda y salvamento de estos hermanos de lucha», afirmó Díaz-Canel en su cuenta de X.

Advertisement

Los veleros fueron los dos últimos de la delegación mexicana del convoy Nuestra América que zarparon el pasado 21 de marzo desde Isla Mujeres, cerca de Cancún, para llevar ayuda humanitaria a Cuba, en medio del deterioro económico en el país caribeño y del bloqueo petrolero impuesto por Estados Unidos.

Las embarcaciones ocupadas por varios activistas, entre ellos dos mujeres, seis hombres y un menor de edad de tres años, tenían programada su partida inicialmente durante la tarde del viernes, pero tuvieron que aplazarla al sábado debido a las condiciones meteorológicas adversas.

Advertisement

La Semar, a través de la Armada de México en funciones de Guardia Costera, explicó que, de manera paralela, mantiene coordinación internacional mediante comunicación con los Centros Coordinadores de Salvamento Marítimo (MRCC) de Polonia, Francia, Cuba y Estados Unidos, nacionalidades de los tripulantes, «con el fin de fortalecer la cooperación y el intercambio de información en tiempo real».

En el texto se explicó en como parte del Plan Marina se alertó a los mandos navales con sede en Isla Mujeres y Yucalpetén, así como de las Estaciones Navales de Búsqueda, Rescate y Vigilancia Marítima (Ensar).

El operativo de búsqueda de la Marina mexicana

Advertisement

En el comunicado, la Semar expuso que desplegó unidades de superficie y aéreas, incluyendo aeronaves tipo ‘Persuader’, que ejecutan patrones de búsqueda marítima y aérea en la ruta estimada entre Isla Mujeres y La Habana, «considerando la derrota programada, posibles puntos de cambio de rumbo, así como las condiciones meteorológicas y corrientes marinas predominantes en la región».

Además de mantener «un monitoreo permanente» para actualizar el plan de búsqueda y «la definición de zonas probables de deriva», e «incrementar la probabilidad de localización de las embarcaciones».

La Marina mexicana llamó a la comunidad marítima internacional, incluyendo embarcaciones comerciales, pesqueras, recreativas y plataformas que operan en el Caribe y golfo de México, para que, «en caso de contar con información o avistamiento de las embarcaciones referidas, lo reporten de manera inmediata a las autoridades navales más cercanas».

Advertisement

Estos dos veleros que se suman al buque que partió el viernes desde Progreso, en Yucatán (sureste), y que arribó sin contratiempos el martes a La Habana, con la mayor parte de la ayuda humanitaria recolectada por organizaciones civiles.

En total, el convoy transportaba alrededor de 30 toneladas de ayuda, entre alimentos, medicamentos, productos de higiene y paneles solares.

Con información de AFP y EFE

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Tendencias