After earthquake, Myanmar deals with complex catastrophe

The huge earthquake that rattled Myanmar on Friday caused widespread destruction and killed at least 1,700 people. But that figure could rise further if aid workers are able to reach the country's remote regions.

Social media images from Mandalay, a city of 1.6 million located close to the epicenter, show entire streets where every second house has collapsed or been damaged. According to the United Nations, around 20 million people in the country are said to be dependent on humanitarian aid.

Electricity and phone lines in central Myanmar are only working sporadically, if at all. DW was able to get in contact with people in Yangon, who have been waiting anxiously for hours for news from friends and families in Mandalay.

Fresh destruction after years of civil war

Tun Myint* told DW that his friends escaped the earthquake with their lives. But because they fear the aftershocks and worry their house is no longer safe, they are hunkering down on the streets.

"They speak of hearing calls for help from trapped people. But there is little they can do. There is a lack of heavy equipment. And if that's the case in Mandalay, what must it be like in remote, more isolated regions?"

The magnitude 7.7 earthquake brought further destruction to a country already badly scarred from an intense phase of civil war since the 2021 coup. The epicenter was near the city of Sagaing, not far from Mandalay — one of the most fiercely contested regions in the civil war.

Red Cross officials have said the aftermath of the earthquake in Myanmar is a level of devastation that hasn't been seen in over a century in AsiaImage: STR/AFP

Even before the earthquake, infrastructure had been severely damaged by the military regime's bombing and the fighting between various factions. According to the United Nations Development Program, one in four people have been living in poverty since COVID-19 and the civil war, while the UN Refugee Agency has recorded 3.6 million internally displaced persons in Myanmar, also known as Burma.

The tremors destroyed countless residential buildings, university buildings and, above all, hospitals, fire stations and health centers.

The airports in Mandalay and the new capital, Naypyitaw, were also damaged, with many bridges and roads rendered impassable. The worst-affected regions are controlled by a patchwork of different actors in the civil war, making relief efforts even more challenging.

This photo taken on August 24, 2024 shows a house in the town of Lashio in the north of the country that burned during fighting between the military government and the rebel group Myanmar National Democratic Alliance ArmyImage: AFP/Getty Images

Desperate need for aid 

Tun Myint does not believe the parties to the civil war will work together in the face of the disaster. "All sides [in the civil war] will try to profit from the situation," he said.

The military junta has already appealed to the international community for help. Russia, China, India, Singapore, the US and the EU have pledged aid, and the first relief supplies and search teams have already arrived in the country.

The National Unity Government has announced a 14-day unilateral ceasefire in the wake of the earthquake. Myanmar's government-in-exile is made up of elected parliamentary representatives who emerged from the 2020 election. It has been organizing the armed struggle against the military government since the 2021 coup.

'People need all the help they can get'

Swe Maung*, who is from Mandalay but fled to Chiang Mai in neighboring Thailand because of the civil war, believes the military government under the leadership of General Min Aung Hlaing has an advantage.

"The fallout from the quake will be a boost for Min Aung Hlaing and the State Administrative Council. The National Unity Government is falling behind because it doesn't have the infrastructure to help," said Swe Maung.

"Honestly, at this moment, I don't care who wins the war," said Tun Myint. "The people need all the help they can get."

Spiritual catastrophe

In addition to the material disaster, Myanmar was also hit spiritually. Many important pagodas, including the Mahamuni Buddha Temple in Mandalay, were badly damaged. It is the country's second most important shrine, after the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon.

Spiritual desolation: Buddhist monks look at a destroyed temple in the capital Naypyitaw .Image: /AP/picture alliance

"The earthquake has deeply shaken the identity of the Bamar people," said Tun Myint. According to the Buddhist majority in Myanmar, "everything a person achieves or suffers in their life is the result of their deeds from a previous life," he explained. "Every happiness and every suffering is therefore always justified."

This is why there is a collective karma, a kind of national Myanmar karma. The earthquake is, therefore, also a spiritual catastrophe.

Junta exchanges elephants for fighter jets

This spiritual level also plays an important role in the civil war, as can be seen from the behavior of prime minister and coup leader Min Aung Hlaing. He is not only taking military action against the resistance in his own country, but he is also having the world's largest marble Buddha built in Naypyitaw.

Allies: At his meeting with Putin (left) in Moscow in March this year, Myanmar's ruler Min Aung Hlaing (right) expressed confidence that Russia would defeat Ukraine.Image: Pavel Bednyakov/AP/picture alliance

The head of the military junta sees himself as a defender of Buddhism. During a state visit to Russia at the beginning of March, he presented President Vladimir Putin with a rare book from 1942.

The book tells of an alleged prophecy from the time of the Buddha, according to which a Russian king and master of weapons would usher in a golden age of Buddhism centuries later. Based on the prophecy, Min Aung Hlaing is confident Putin will be victorious in Ukraine.

During the state visit, six elephants from Myanmar were symbolically exchanged for six Russian fighter jets. Material and spiritual power are closely intertwined in Myanmar.

Historical parallels to 1930 disaster

In contrast to opposition politician Swe Maung*, who fled to Thailand, Nyein Win*, who lives in Yangon, is convinced the quake is a serious blow to the junta. It's a clear sign that the end of the junta is near, she told DW.

A parallel to a severe 1930 earthquake, which had a similar magnitude to Friday's tremor, also plays a role here. At that time, the umbrella fell from the top of the Shewdagon Pagoda, which was interpreted as a sign of a serious national crisis.

In the same year, there was a major uprising against British rule, and the "Dobama Asiayone" ("We Burmese Society") was formed, which led the political struggle against the colonial rulers for decades and contributed significantly to the country's independence.

This historical parallel is significant because many people see the current military government as a colonial power in their own country that, like the British, must be driven out.

Hans-Bernd Zöllner, a German Myanmar expert and theologian, also believes this spiritual dimension can have a significant impact on the future of the country. "After all, faith moves mountains. But the spiritual is never clear-cut," he said.

In Zöllner's view, it would be best "if the opposing camps in Myanmar sat down together to look for ways out of the deadlocked situation in the interests of the population. This would require both sides to realize that each has its own part to play in the country's misfortune. However, this is rather unlikely."

* The names of the interviewees, who fear for their safety, have been changed for their protection.

This article was originally written in German.