Rescue teams, supplies rushed to quake-hit Myanmar

China has ramped up efforts to assist Myanmar in its rescue and relief operations, sending supplies and rescue teams to disaster-affected areas, after a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the Southeast Asian country on Friday, followed by multiple aftershocks.

President Xi Jinping extended condolences on Saturday to Myanmar's leader Min Aung Hlaing. In his message, Xi said he was shocked to learn of the strong earthquake, which resulted in heavy casualties and extensive loss of property in Myanmar.

On behalf of the Chinese government and people, Xi mourned the deceased, extended sincere condolences to their bereaved families, and offered sincere sympathies to the injured and others affected by the disaster.

China and Myanmar are a community of shared future, sharing weal and woe, and the two peoples have a profound fraternal friendship, Xi said, adding that China is ready to provide more assistance and continue to support efforts to help Myanmar overcome the disaster and rebuild homes at an early date.

Premier Li Qiang also extended his condolences on Saturday to Min Aung Hlaing over the earthquake.

As of noon on Sunday, the death toll in Myanmar had climbed to about 1,700, with another 3,400 people injured and 300 missing, according to the country's State Administration Council.

The areas most severely hit by the earthquake and its aftershocks, including Myanmar's second-largest city, Mandalay, and the country's capital, Nay Pyi Daw, have seen widespread damage to infrastructure, with hundreds of buildings reduced to rubble, according to reports.

At 7:38 pm on Sunday, a China International Search and Rescue team, comprising 118 personnel and six rescue dogs, departed from Beijing for Nay Pyi Daw to assist in disaster relief efforts, according to the Chinese Ministry of Emergency Management.

The team, equipped with two rescue vehicles and 634 pieces of rescue equipment, as well as medical supplies, is scheduled to head to other areas struck by the earthquake from Nay Pyi Daw.

On Saturday morning, a 37-member rescue and medical team from China's Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar and was also hit by the earthquake, arrived in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, with emergency relief equipment. It was the first international team to reach Myanmar.

The team proceeded to Nay Pyi Daw, where it joined rescue operations alongside local emergency responders at 6:30 pm on Saturday. After overnight efforts, at 5 am on Sunday, the team rescued an elderly man who was trapped under the rubble of a local hospital for nearly 40 hours.

Several other groups from China, including an 82-member national team, three civil teams and a team from the Red Cross Society of China, joined the search and rescue operations in Myanmar over the weekend.

On Sunday afternoon, Yunnan sent approximately 7.3 metric tons of daily necessities and rescue supplies, including instant noodles, clothes, medicines and tents, which were transported by air from the provincial capital of Kunming to Yangon.

Li Ming, spokesman for the China International Development Cooperation Agency, said on Saturday that the Chinese government has pledged 100 million yuan ($13.77 million) in emergency humanitarian aid to support earthquake relief efforts at the request of Myanmar's government.

China will provide urgently needed supplies including tents, blankets, first-aid kits, food and drinking water, which were scheduled for delivery on Monday. Further assistance will be provided based on Myanmar's needs, Li added.

Meanwhile, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Tonga, an island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, at 1:18 am on Monday local time, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.