When a powerful 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday, Cao Lei, a Myanmar language teacher in China, quickly volunteered to translate distress messages, helping relay critical information to rescue teams.

"After the earthquake, many Chinese rescue workers struggled to quickly and accurately understand Myanmar language distress messages from those affected in Myanmar," said Cao, who teaches at Tianjin Foreign Studies University. "Prompt translation improves rescue efficiency and helps victims escape more swiftly."

In response, Myanmar language students and faculty from Beijing Language and Culture University formed an emergency language service group. They translated online distress messages into Chinese, marked key details on a map and shared it with rescue teams.

Cao joined the effort, volunteering with the Zhuoming Disaster Information Service Center to provide translation, information verification and resource coordination.

Over the weekend, he worked more than 32 hours. On Monday, after finishing his morning class, he resumed searching for and translating information online. He monitored Myanmar language reports from BBC and Voice of America, as well as Burmese media outlets like DVB and Eleven.com. He also scoured social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and X, translating key updates into Chinese for the center.

The center processed the information and immediately relayed it to front-line Chinese rescue teams.

"The first day, I translated up to 100 messages for rescue and earthquake response points," Cao said. "Then from 8 am Sunday, I worked until 2 am Monday because we needed to grasp the 'golden 72 hours' for earthquake rescue."

Despite being thousands of kilometers away, Cao said he deeply empathizes with those seeking help, feeling their anxiety as he reads each message while translating.

"Initially, requests for assistance mainly came from commercial buildings and private residences in Mandalay, Myanmar. Later, there were also numerous requests from schools and temples. I have been racing against time to quickly and accurately convey these life-or-death messages," he said.

Before joining the university in 2013, Cao worked for four years on a hydropower project in Myanmar with a Chinese enterprise. He said the experience gave him a deep understanding of the country and a strong connection with its people.

"The earthquake has put countless lives at risk," he said. "As an educator who has worked in Myanmar and has taught the Myanmar language for many years, I feel a profound responsibility to help."

By Monday morning, China had sent several rescue teams to Myanmar, and Chinese rescuers had saved six people from quake-damaged areas.

yangcheng@chinadaily.com.cn

Multiple rescue teams from China have rescued six survivors, including a pregnant woman, in earthquake-hit Myanmar as of 8 am local time on Monday, as the first group of emergency humanitarian aid from China arrived in the Southeast Asian country.

The magnitude 7.9 earthquake, which struck Myanmar on Friday, has resulted in 2,056 deaths and more than 3,900 injuries, and over 270 people were still missing as of Monday night, according to the country's state television channel MRTV.

Meanwhile, three Chinese citizens were killed and 14 injured in the massive earthquake as of 5 pm local time, Chinese embassy in Myanmar said.

According to the Ministry of Emergency Management, the China Search and Rescue Team arrived in the hard-hit city of Mandalay on Sunday afternoon local time and immediately sent an advance unit to conduct on-site assessments and rescue operations.

At 12:40 am on Monday, the team rescued a woman near a hotel. In addition, the CSRT and China's Zhejiang Rescue Team of Ramunion, a civilian rescue organization, worked together to rescue three trapped women near an apartment building in Mandalay on Monday morning.

The rescued individuals were transported to medical facilities for treatment, and rescue efforts were still ongoing, the Ministry of Emergency Management said in a news release.

In addition, an elderly man who had been trapped for nearly 40 hours under the rubble of a hospital in Nay Pyi Daw on Sunday was rescued by a team from Southwest China's Yunnan province, Xinhua News Agency reported. Also on Sunday, members of the Blue Sky Rescue Team from Hunan province rescued a survivor at Mandalay Buddhist Hall.

According to the Ministry of Emergency Management, a total of 91 members from five social emergency response teams organized by the ministry have arrived in Myanmar and are participating in or assisting with the rescue operations.

Following assessments, the CSRT established a campsite in an open area near the Chinese consulate-general in Mandalay on Sunday night.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's Security Bureau said on social media on Monday that a Hong Kong rescue team had just arrived in the disaster-stricken area of Mandalay and immediately joined the CSRT for a briefing on the local disaster situation.

The team, which was equipped with professional gear and search and rescue dogs, then coordinated with the CSRT and conducted search and rescue operations in two affected areas in Mandalay, the Security Bureau said.

On Monday, the first shipment of emergency humanitarian earthquake relief supplies provided by the Chinese government arrived in Yangon, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular news conference, adding that the Red Cross Society of China had also provided relief supplies.

The relief supplies included 1,200 tents, 8,000 blankets and over 40,000 first aid kits, according to the China International Development Cooperation Agency.

On Saturday, the Chinese government announced the provision of 100 million yuan ($14 million) in emergency humanitarian aid to Myanmar.

Guo said that after the earthquake, China quickly activated its emergency mechanism to carry out rescue and consular protection efforts.

"The Yunnan rescue medical team arrived in Myanmar 18 hours after the earthquake, becoming the first international rescue team to enter the earthquake-hit area, and successfully rescued a trapped victim in cooperation with local rescue forces," he said.

In addition to several official rescue teams, civilian rescue forces from various parts of China have already entered or are entering Myanmar, Guo said.

"Currently, about 400 Chinese earthquake experts and rescue and medical personnel are participating in the earthquake relief efforts across Myanmar," the spokesman said.

China will work with Myanmar to overcome difficulties, make the most of the 72-hour window to rescue survivors, treat the injured, and deliver aid supplies to the disaster victims, he said.

"We believe that with the support of the international community, the government and people of Myanmar will be able to unite and overcome the disaster, and rebuild their homes."

South Asian nations extended condolences and offered assistance to Myanmar and Thailand, joining moves by several other countries around the world particularly China, in showing solidarity following the devastating March 28 earthquake.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, in a statement on March 29, commiserated the loss of human lives and affirmed support to those affected by the disaster.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also offered Pakistan's assistance to Myanmar and Thailand, saying "our thoughts and prayers are with the people of both countries as they pass through this difficult time".

"Pakistan stands in solidarity with Thailand and Myanmar, offers our support and wishes them strength, safety, and a swift recovery from this catastrophe," Sharif said in a message posted on social media platform X.

Pakistan's foreign ministry said earlier that Pakistani embassies in Yangon and Bangkok are fully operational to assist Pakistani nationals. The government set up a crisis management unit to assist Pakistanis affected by the quake.

Myanmar is still reeling from the powerful earthquake that struck the country at 12.51 pm local time on March 28, with rescue and relief efforts ongoing. As of March 30, the death toll from the quake passed 1,700 in the country, with thousands injured and hundreds missing. The toll could rise further as search efforts are continuing at many structures that have been destroyed.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Thailand, rescuers in Bangkok are still searching the rubble at the site of a collapsed high-rise building that was under construction in the capital city. At least 11 people, believed to be construction workers, have been confirmed dead while dozens remain missing at the site.

Following the devastating earthquake, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Myanmar's leader Min Aung Hlaing on the morning of March 29. "Conveyed our deep condolences at the loss of lives in the devastating earthquake," Modi said in a post on X. "As a close friend and neighbor, India stands in solidarity with the people of Myanmar in this difficult hour".

In a rapid response to the calamity, India launched "Operation Brahma", a rescue and relief effort to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to victims of the disaster.

Local media reported that India dispatched 15 metric tons of relief material by aircraft to Yangon, including essential supplies such as tents, sleeping bags, blankets, ready-to-eat meals and generator sets.

According to an Indian foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, New Delhi sent two naval ships with relief supplies to Myanmar, with the vessels set to arrive in Yangon on March 31. Another two will follow to strengthen the aid.

Besides, the Indian army will establish a 60-bed medical treatment center to provide immediate care to those injured. The facility will be capable of handling trauma cases, emergency surgeries, and essential medical services to support the local healthcare system, which has been severely strained by the disaster, the ministry said in a statement.

The statement added that the deployment has been coordinated closely with the foreign ministry and in partnership with authorities in Myanmar.

Besides, India on March 29 dispatched an 80-member National Disaster Response Force team for specialist search and rescue efforts in the quake-affected region of Nay Pyi Taw.

Among other South Asian nations, Maldives is working through its embassy in Thailand to guarantee the safety of its citizens in the region.

According to Maldives' foreign ministry, one of the areas most severely affected by the earthquake in Myanmar is an area where a large number of Maldivians live. Based on the information received so far, Maldivians living in Thailand are reported to be safe, the ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, a statement by the Sri Lankan foreign ministry said that Sri Lanka stands in solidarity with those affected by the earthquake that struck Myanmar and Thailand.

"Our sincere condolences to those that have lost loved ones and we wish those that have suffered injuries a speedy recovery," it said.

The ministry added that Sri Lankans in Thailand and Myanmar are requested to remain vigilant and be in touch with respective Sri Lankan embassies in the quake-affected nations.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Monday that the Chinese rescue forces have saved six people in earthquake-hit Myanmar, vowing that China will do its best to search and rescue the survivors, treat the injured, and ensure that aid supplies reach those affected in the disaster zone.

"After the earthquake, China immediately launched the emergency response mechanism and has done everything possible to provide emergency services and consular protection," Guo told a daily news briefing.

As of now, Guo said around 400 Chinese personnel, including experts, rescuers and medical workers, have been assisting in the disaster relief efforts in various places in Myanmar.

China has also sent a first batch of relief supplies worth 100 million yuan ($13.78 million) to Myanmar, including tents, first aid kits, food and drinking water, he added.

Guo expressed the belief that with the support of the international community, the government and people of Myanmar will be united as one and rise above the disaster and rebuild their homes.

YANGON -- The death toll of Chinese nationals from Myanmar's earthquake has risen to three, as 14 other Chinese citizens were injured till 18:00 Beijing time on Monday, the Chinese embassy in Myanmar confirmed.

MANDALAY, Myanmar -- Myanmar's State Administration Council Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on Monday announced a week-long mourning period following a 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28.

In recognition of and sympathy for the damage and loss of lives caused by the earthquake, the period from March 31 to April 6 has been declared as national mourning days. During this time, the national flag will be flown at half-mast, he said.

According to Myanmar's State Administration Council on Sunday, about 1,700 people died, 3,400 were injured, and 300 remained missing in the massive earthquake.

Chinese rescue teams have successfully rescued six people in the earthquake-hit area of Mandalay in Myanmar, China's Ministry of Emergency Management said on Monday morning.

The Chinese teams have been conducting ongoing rescue operations in the severely affected city. As of 8 am local time on Monday, they have successfully rescued six survivors, including three adult women, one of whom is pregnant, and a young girl.

Rescue operations are still underway, and the rescued individuals have been transported to medical facilities for treatment, the Ministry of Emergency Management said in a news release on Monday morning.

At 12:40 am on Monday, China Search and Rescue Team rescued an adult woman who was trapped, marking the first survivor rescued by the team.

Between 5 am and 7 am, the team, in collaboration with the China's Zhejiang Rescue Team of Ramunion, a civilian rescue organization, rescued three trapped women.

According to the Ministry of Emergency Management, a total of 91 members from five social emergency response teams organized by the ministry have arrived in Myanmar and are participating in or assisting with the rescue operations.

Following assessments, the team established a campsite on an open area near the Chinese consulate general in Mandalay on Sunday night.

KUNMING -- Southwest China's Yunnan province sent more relief supplies worth 1 million yuan (about $139,310) to Myanmar on Monday after a massive earthquake struck the Southeast Asian country last Friday.

The supplies, including facial masks, protective clothing and medicines, will be delivered from the provincial capital Kunming to Nay Pyi Taw on Monday afternoon.

The first batch of 80 tents and 290 blankets was sent by the province, which borders Myanmar, to the quake-hit country via air on Saturday. On Sunday, a chartered flight carrying about 7.3 tonnes of relief goods, including clothes, medicines, instant noodles, tents and other daily necessities, departed from Kunming to Myanmar.

Earlier on Saturday, a 37-member rescue team from Yunnan province arrived in Myanmar, before more rescuers rushed there to assist in disaster relief and rescue efforts. So far, they have rescued several survivors, including a pregnant woman.

About 1,700 people have died, 3,400 were injured, and 300 remain missing in the massive earthquake in Myanmar, according to Myanmar's State Administration Council on Sunday.

YANGON -- The first batch of disaster-relief material offered by the Chinese government arrived in Myanmar on Monday.

MANDALAY, Myanmar -- Myanmar's Department of Meteorology and Hydrology reported on Monday that 36 aftershocks, with magnitudes ranging from 2.8 to 7.5, have occurred as of Monday morning.

The aftershocks followed a devastating 7.9-magnitude earthquake that jolted Myanmar at 12:51 pm local time last Friday.

Xinhua contributed to the story.

YANGON -- Friday's 7.9-magnitude earthquake killed one Chinese national and injured 15 other Chinese citizens in Myanmar, the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar confirmed on Monday.

The Chinese diplomatic missions in Myanmar have been assisting the families of the victims, according to the embassy.

Myanmar's authorities said on Sunday that the death toll of the earthquake has risen to about 1,700.

BEIJING -- China's first batch of emergency humanitarian earthquake relief supplies to Myanmar departed from Beijing Capital International Airport on Monday morning.

In response to a request from the Myanmar government, China has decided to provide Myanmar with 100 million yuan ($13.9 million) in emergency humanitarian aid to support earthquake relief efforts.

According to the China International Development Cooperation Agency, the initial supplies include tents, blankets and first aid kits.

Countries and international communities including China, the United Nations and ASEAN are delivering aid to Myanmar while foreign rescue teams are racing to save more lives from among the ruins in Myanmar following Friday's powerful earthquakes.

As of Sunday, rescue and medical teams from countries such as Belarus, Singapore, India, Malaysia and Thailand have been at work in Myanmar searching for survivors.

About 1,700 people died, 3,400 were injured, and 300 remained missing in the earthquake in Myanmar, according to the country's State Administration Council on Sunday. The numbers could rise further.

Fourteen Chinese nationals were injured in the quake in Myanmar, the Chinese embassy in Myanmar confirmed on Sunday afternoon.

At least three rescue teams from the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have managed to locate some of the injured at collapsed buildings in Myanmar. A 79-member military task force from Vietnam also departed for Myanmar on Sunday afternoon to assist with earthquake search and rescue operations, and post-disaster recovery efforts, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

Myanmar's State Administration Council Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing visited Ottara Thiri Private Hospital in Nay Pyi Daw, the Myanmar capital, on Sunday and thanked a Chinese rescue team from Yunnan province which was the first to arrive among international teams for rescue efforts. The council has called for international assistance for disaster relief.

The World Health Organization is looking to move Emergency Medical Teams into Myanmar amid reports of insufficient medical supplies, including trauma kits to treat injured people, blood bags for transfusion, anesthetics, assisted devices, other essential medicines, and tents for health workers.

In a statement on Saturday, Marcoluigi Corsi, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Myanmar, said the UN and its partners are urgently mobilizing to support emergency response efforts and stand ready to assist all affected communities.

He estimated that around 20 million people have been impacted by the quake.

The United Nations allocated $5 million in aid to Myanmar, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general.

The Secretary-General of ASEAN, Kao Kim Hourn, joined ASEAN foreign ministers and the foreign minister of Timor-Leste in a special emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss ASEAN's humanitarian aid to Myanmar in the wake of the devastating earthquake.

Emergency assistance

Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said on Sunday that the kingdom would provide $100,000 in initial emergency assistance to Myanmar.

With its epicenter about 392 kilometers from Pang Mapha district in Thailand's Mae Hong Son Province, the earthquake — measured 7.9-magnitude by the China Earthquake Network Center and 7.7-magnitude by US counterparts — also affected Thailand and other neighboring countries. The last earthquake of a similar scale in the region was recorded in the 1830s.

Bangkok and 10 other provinces suffered severe damage. In Thailand, at least 17 people were killed with 77 missing.

Thai Department of Fine Arts said on Sunday that its Archaeological Division conducted inspections at historical sites in Bangkok and found no significant damage caused by the earthquake. But some historical sites in northern Thailand suffered cracks in the walls or bases of halls and stupas.

After the earthquake, the King of Thailand extended royal medical care to all the injured. Thai state banks have rolled out urgent financial relief measures to help citizens and affected businesses.

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra held an urgent meeting on Saturday to address the earthquake's impact and coordinate solutions, urging immediate improvement of public alerts via SMS and the development of a cell broadcast system within three months.

Paetongtarn urged enhanced coordination between the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department and the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission to provide timely updates on road closures and alternative routes.

To ensure public safety after the earthquake, a complete list of emergency hotlines has been compiled by the Thai government. These fully operational services cover rescue, medical, structural damage, mental health, and travel needs, and are coordinated across government agencies.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the earthquake was triggered by horizontal slipping of land, known as "strike-slip "faults. The agency noted that this fault type is the same as the one responsible for the powerful earthquake in the Kumamoto prefecture of southwestern Japan in 2016, the public broadcaster NHK reported.

The government of Japan dispatched an assessment team to Myanmar on Sunday through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, or JICA, in response to the massive damage in Myanmar caused by Friday's earthquake. The team of five members including medical personnel will monitor needs and the security situation on the ground, and coordinate the possible dispatch of a Japan Disaster Relief team.

Japan has also decided to provide emergency relief goods including basic necessities to those who are affected by the earthquake through JICA, according to Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In Jakarta on Sunday, Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno said the Indonesian government had decided to deploy a preliminary team on Monday to Myanmar by using a commercial flight, Antara News Agency reported.

On Tuesday, a search and rescue team will fly to Myanmar aboard military aircraft, followed by an emergency medical team along with consignments of logistical assistance to be deployed from the Halim Perdanakusuma Airbase in Jakarta on April 3.

The minister pointed out that the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) had been assigned to prepare and distribute aid packages, while the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basasrnas) is asked to assist evacuation, and the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) provides operational and security support.

Furthermore, the Health Ministry is set to send medics and medicines, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will establish coordination with the Myanmar government to obtain permits for the mission.

New Zealand said it will donate 2 million New Zealand dollars ($1.14 million) through the International Red Cross to support emergency response in Myanmar.

Jiang Xueqing in Tokyo contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at yangwanli@chinadaily.com.cn.

MANDALAY, Myanmar -- Chinese rescuers pulled out a pregnant survivor in quake-hit Myanmar city Mandalay on Monday morning.

The China Search and Rescue Team and a civilian rescue team of RAMUNION RESCUE joined their efforts in the above-mentioned rescue mission, Yue Xin, a squad leader of the China Search and Rescue Team, told Xinhua at the rescue site in a residential area of the city.

He said the Chinese rescuers braved several after-shocks during this rescue mission. A 7.9-magnitude tremor that struck Myanmar last Friday caused severe damage to the building, from which the survivor was pulled out, he added.

"We hope to bring hope for more lives here," Yue said.

The China Search and Rescue Team recovered another survivor in Mandalay on Monday. The team arrived in the city late on Sunday.

MANDALAY, Myanmar -- China Search and Rescue Team successfully recovered a female survivor at the Great Wall Hotel quake site in Mandalay city, Myanmar, early on Monday.

The Chinese rescue team rescued the survivor after more than five hours of intense work. The survivor had been trapped for nearly 60 hours and had good vital signs when rescued.

This was the first survivor rescued by China Search and Rescue Team after they arrived in the hard-hit Mandalay city late on Sunday.

Another Chinese rescue team from Yunnan on Sunday morning rescued a survivor in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar's capital city, which was also severely-affected in Friday's earthquake.

NAY PYI TAW, Myanmar -- A total of 118 members of the China International Search and Rescue Team (CISAR) arrived in Nay Pyi Daw, Myanmar, on Sunday night.

The team consists of earthquake experts, structural engineers, search and rescue workers, medical personnel, and canine units. They are equipped with life detectors, demolition equipment, and field hospital systems.

Established in 2001, the CISAR is a United Nations-certified heavy-duty rescue team that has participated in over 20 international missions.

According to Myanmar's State Administration Council on Sunday, about 1,700 people died, 3,400 were injured, and 300 remained missing in a massive 7.9-magnitude earthquake that hit the country on Friday.