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When Friday’s powerful earthquake struck central Myanmar, Htet Min Oo was performing ritual ablutions before Ramadan prayers at a mosque next to his house in Mandalay.
His home collapsed along with part of the mosque, trapping half his body with the rubble of a wall that buried two of his aunts. Residents raced to pull the aunts out, he said, but only one survived.
Htet Min Oo, 25, said two uncles and his grandmother were also trapped under piles of concrete. With no heavy equipment available, he tried desperately to clear the rubble with his hands but could not shift it.
“I don’t know if they are still alive under the debris. After so long, I don’t think there’s any hope,” he said.
“There’s too much rubble and no rescue teams have come for us,” he added, his voice shaking as he broke into tears. Hundreds of Muslims are feared among the dead in Myanmar after the shallow quake struck as worshippers gathered at mosques for Friday prayers in the holy month.
More than 50 mosques sustained damage, according to the shadow National Unity Government.
A 39-year-old resident of the Mandalay region described harrowing scenes as he tried to save a man trapped under the debris of a collapsed mosque in Sule Kone village, but had to flee because of strong aftershocks.
“I had to leave him behind ... I went in a second time to try to save him,” he said, declining to be identified.
“I retrieved four people with my own hands. But unfortunately, three were already dead and one died in my arms.”
He said 10 people had been killed there, and that they were among 23 who died at three mosques that were destroyed in the village. Government restrictions had prevented them being upgraded, he said.
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