Several videos of the devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar, which has claimed over 2,000 lives so far, have surfaced online, showing collapsed buildings and widespread destruction. Now, a video directly from survivors trapped under the rubble has emerged, capturing heartbreaking visuals of two teenage girls and their bloodied grandmother struggling amidst the wreckage.
According to a Sky News report, the footage features two girls, aged 13 and 16, and their injured grandmother in a debris-filled space following Friday’s powerful quake. The family was trapped while trying to escape from their sixth-floor apartment in Mandalay, near the quake’s epicentre. They had rushed toward the emergency stairs when the building collapsed.
Initially, the girls’ father believed his daughters and mother had perished, prompting him to seek help on social media to recover their bodies. However, the girls had survived—and had managed to grab their phones just before the collapse.
Writing on Facebook, the father shared: “My daughters recorded videos on their phones, thinking that if they and grandma died, their phones might be found, and their father and mother would see them. They even unlocked their phones.”
He added that his family could hear other survivors trapped beneath them. “They called out to each other from above and below, but there was no sound from the outside. As hours passed, they became disheartened and held hands with grandma, crying,” he wrote.
Rescuers eventually reached them and used a hammer to create a small hole to pass the water. However, they had to leave to bring more equipment. During this time, the girls decided to take action themselves, using the hammer to widen the gap and create an escape route.
“They wanted to make a bigger opening for grandma, but the large stones were too heavy, and both sisters couldn’t move them,” their father explained.
Rescuers later returned and successfully pulled the girls to safety. Their 75-year-old grandmother, who was “gasping for breath,” was initially unable to fit through the gap but was later rescued as well.
Death toll crosses 2,700
The death toll from the powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has exceeded 2,700, with thousands more injured, according to a report by the Associated Press citing Myanmar media on Tuesday.
Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, leader of Myanmar’s military government, announced at a forum in Naypyitaw that 2,719 people have been confirmed dead, 4,521 injured, and 441 are still missing, as reported by the Western News online portal.
These figures are expected to rise as the quake affected a vast area, leaving many regions without power, telephone, or cell service. Roads and bridges were also damaged, making it difficult to fully assess the extent of the destruction.
Most of the reports so far have come from Mandalay and Naypyitaw. Myanmar’s fire department reported that 403 people have been rescued in Mandalay, and 259 bodies have been found. In one tragic incident, 50 Buddhist monks taking a religious exam at a monastery were killed when the building collapsed, and 150 more are believed to be buried under the rubble.
The World Health Organization stated that more than 10,000 buildings have either collapsed or been severely damaged in central and northwest Myanmar.
The earthquake also affected neighbouring Thailand, where a high-rise building under construction collapsed, trapping many workers. Two bodies were recovered from the rubble on Monday, but dozens remain missing. Overall, 20 people were killed, and 34 were injured in Bangkok, mainly at the construction site.
