Four days after the deadly earthquake in Myanmar, several people and bodies are still trapped beneath the debris. After Friday's 7.7 magnitude quake that toppled buildings and damaged roads across Myanmar, the rescue operation continues, and as of today, over 2700 dead bodies have been recovered. Survival in the rubble after an Earthquake depends on various factors, and experts share some important factors that affect days of survival after the quake.
On Tuesday, the head of Myanmar's military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, told a forum in the capital, Naypyitaw, that 2,719 people have now been found dead, with 4,521 others injured and 441 missing.
How long can trapped victims survive after an Earthquake?
Geophysicist Victor Tsai from Brown University in an email said if the victims are trapped under a 'survivable void space', then days of survival increase. Trapped victims are more likely to survive if they are in a debris-free pocket that prevents major injury while they await rescue, like under a sturdy desk, Tsai said. Most rescues happen in the 24 hours after a disaster. The chances of survival drop with each day after that, experts say.
Factors affecting the survival
Survival depends on many factors, including weather and access to water and air. As per the experts, if the injuries aren't too severe, victims can survive for a week or more, assuming the weather isn't too hot or cold. If fire, smoke or hazardous chemicals were released as a result of the building collapse, they may decrease a person's survival odds, said emergency response expert Joseph Barbera, an associate professor at George Washington University.
Beyond that, having air to breathe and water to drink are crucial as the days go on. "You could survive a while without food,” Barbera said. “You could survive less without water. Temperatures where someone is trapped may affect survival, and temperatures outside the rubble can affect rescue missions," she added.
Power outages and spotty communications have slowed relief operations in Myanmar, where many are searching for survivors by hand in daily temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius. A lack of heavy machinery has slowed search-and-rescue efforts.
(PTI inputs)