Following Friday's catastrophic 7.7-magnitude earthquake that killed over 1,700 people, Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel and local rescuers spent eight hours rescuing a man from a fallen building in Myanmar on Sunday morning, March 30.
In a Facebook post, the SCDF stated that its Operation Lionheart team examined a catastrophe site along Aungmyay Theinkha street, where two three-story residential buildings had collapsed, before starting search and rescue efforts in the Zebuthiri Township in Naypyidaw at around 1 am.
Rescuers reported no signs of life were found despite using two dogs and life detecting technology to find possible survivors.
After that, the team went to a three-story residential structure on Ngu Wah Road that had partially fallen. According to the local authorities, a man had been discovered trapped inside.
SCDF said, "Upon arrival, the team worked with the local rescuers from Naypyidaw Fire Service Department, under Myanmar Fire Services Department, and gained access into the collapsed structure through a narrow passage to rescue the man trapped underneath the concrete slabs," adding that the man was conscious and able to communicate.
"Throughout the rescue operation, the team maintained contact with the person and water was provided to the man through a plastic tube inserted through the crevices between the concrete slabs," the SCDF added.
SCDF said that cutting and breaking tools were utilized to break through the slabs that confined the victim.
The eight-hour long effort ended with the man's rescue at 11 am. After being determined to be stable and conscious, he was taken to a nearby hospital.
An 80-member team will be sent to Myanmar to help with disaster relief efforts, the SCDF announced on Saturday.
Rescuers from the elite Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART), operationally prepared National Servicemen, regular National Servicemen physicians, paramedics, search specialists with four dogs, hazardous materials specialists, and support personnel make up the Operation Lionheart team.
They took a domestic flight to Naypyidaw after arriving in Yangon at around 4 pm on Saturday, March 29.
An aftershock with a magnitude of 6.7 occurred minutes after the earthquake that occurred close to the city of Mandalay in central Myanmar.
The city of almost 1.7 million people saw widespread devastation as a result of the tremors, which caused buildings, bridges, and roadways to collapse.
Given the gravity of the situation, Myanmar's junta leader Min Aung Hlaing had made a rare plea for foreign assistance on Friday, March 28.
