Buildings in Myanmar continue to collapse days after deadly quake

CNN — 

Buildings in Myanmar are continuing to collapse five days after a powerful earthquake struck the country, creating perilous conditions for rescuers as they attempt to extricate survivors from the rubble.

More than 2,700 people were killed in the 7.7-magnitude quake, with thousands more injured, according to Myanmar’s military junta. Hundreds more remain missing, meaning the death toll is almost certain to rise.

The Myanmar Fire Services Department on Wednesday shared video of a heartwarming moment in the military capital Naypyidaw, where workers pulled a man from the rubble more than 100 hours after the quake, a miraculous rescue that offered a rare moment of hope.

The man appeared tired and disheveled as he was pulled out of an air pocket between broken slabs of concrete, to a round of applause.

A day earlier, a 62-year-old woman was similarly pulled from broken slabs of concrete in Naypyidaw.

Elsewhere, a team of Chinese rescuers on Monday pulled four people – including a five-year-old child and a pregnant woman – from the rubble.

Structurally vulnerable buildings in the country are still collapsing as tremors continue, according to human rights organizations, highlighting the dangers of the rescue mission.

Two hotels collapsed near the epicenter in Mandalay Monday night, after people went back to the structures days after the quake.

“With these additional tremors, fatalities are still occurring,” said Michael Dunford, Myanmar director at the United Nations World Food Programme.

“Many people are still sleeping out in the open on the streets or in the parks because they are too scared to go back into their homes. And of course, this is hampering our efforts to reach them and to provide the type of support that they need.”

Humanitarian organizations are continuing to stress the need for urgent aid, especially to more remote areas of the country.

Even before the quake, four years of civil war had left millions without adequate shelter and battered health and communication infrastructure.