YANGON, March 28 (Xinhua) -- A ceremony marking the one-year anniversary of the Mandalay earthquake that struck on March 28, 2025, was held in Myanmar's capital Nay Pyi Taw on Saturday, according to state-owned Myanmar Radio and Television.
During the event, Myanmar's Acting President Senior General Min Aung Hlaing expressed sorrow over the loss of lives and property caused by the disaster and highlighted ongoing rehabilitation efforts.
He said the earthquake affected 10 regions and states, including Nay Pyi Taw, leaving 3,818 people dead and 5,104 injured. Over 160,000 households and more than 420,000 people were affected, with total damage estimated at over 7,979 billion kyats (about 3.79 billion U.S. dollars).
More than 2,600 tons of relief supplies were provided by countries including China, Russia, India, Belarus, Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and others, and were distributed to affected areas in a timely manner, he said.
In addition, China donated prefabricated offices and houses, gasoline for rescue operations, emergency medical facilities and medicines, which were used and distributed systematically, he added.
For emergency response efforts, over 1,900 search and rescue personnel and 845 healthcare workers from 25 countries worked together with the Myanmar Fire Services Department, police, Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw), the Red Cross Society and local rescue organizations, he said.
Due to their efforts, a total of 653 people were rescued alive. The compassion, dedication, courage, unity and perseverance of those who participated in the earthquake rescue efforts are the greatest and most proud national assets of the country, he added.
Rehabilitation works are 80 percent complete, and the rest will be taken over by the new government, he said.
In the future process of national development, resilience to disasters and long-term sustainability must be taken into consideration, he said. ■