Chinese teams rescue six in quake-hit Myanmar

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."