A rescue team from the Vietnam People's Army (VPA), in collaboration with Turkish and Myanmar emergency forces, successfully located a young man still alive beneath the debris following the devastating earthquake in Myanmar.

At noon on April 2, while conducting rescue operations at Ottara Thiri Hospital in Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s capital, the VPA team received information about a survivor trapped under the rubble.

Preliminary details identified the survivor as a young man around 26 or 27 years old, pinned beneath the collapsed Aye Chan Thar Hotel, approximately 20 kilometers from the hospital where the Vietnamese team was working.

Upon receiving the alert, a six-member Vietnamese engineering unit was immediately dispatched to join Turkish and Myanmar rescuers in the operation.

When rescuers reached the site, they managed to make verbal contact with the man. He confirmed he was still in good health but lacked food and water. Rescue teams are currently working to find the quickest and safest route to extract him from the wreckage.

Meanwhile, a military medical unit from Vietnam has set up two field tents to provide emergency care and health screenings for people affected by the earthquake in Naypyidaw over the coming days.

Earlier this morning, the Vietnamese rescue team recovered two more bodies, raising the total number of victims they have found to seven.

To better coordinate operations, the VPA rescue team has established a temporary command post at Ottara Thiri Hospital to intensify their efforts.

Previously, on April 1, Meme Cho - the daughter of a victim who died in a building collapse - shared that her family, including 74-year-old U Maung Tin, lived at building No. 2386 in the Bala Tidi area of Zabu Thiri District, along with three other families.

When the earthquake struck, only the elderly couple and one grandchild were home, as their children were away at work. The child was also trapped but later rescued, albeit with the tragic loss of a leg.

Vietnamese rescuers used sniffer dogs, ground-penetrating radar, and imaging equipment to accurately pinpoint the deceased grandfather’s location under the rubble.

Thanks to these efforts, his body was retrieved after more than four hours and handed over to his family for funeral arrangements.

Myanmar media reported that the death toll from the earthquake has surpassed 2,700 and is expected to rise above 3,000. An estimated 4,500 people have been injured and 441 are missing, though officials believe the actual figures may be significantly higher.

Rescue operations continue under extreme conditions, with temperatures soaring to around 40°C. The intense heat is exhausting rescue personnel and accelerating the decomposition of bodies, making identification increasingly difficult.

Tran Thuong