Heat, decay, and hope: a reporter’s journey in Myanmar’s quake aftermath
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On March 28, a devastating 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar. Among the first responders were Chinese search and rescue teams and my colleague Chen Ziyuan.

who rescheduled her work, rushed to the epicenter, and witnessed firsthand the race against time, the heat, and decay. In this special deep dive episode, Chen shares her journey through rubble and resilience alongside the rescuers. It's Sunday, April 6th.

So I was actually on my way to cover my last story on China Coast Guard and I read on the news that the earthquake happened because covering breaking news is one of my beat so I asked my producer if I can come back to Beijing and then get ready to head to Myanmar. When I flew off from

Guangxi autonomous region, I did not have any of my belongings. I pretty much went back to Beijing, repacked everything, left my belongings with my cameraman and get all new laptop, new backpack, new electronics to be prepared for this trip.

I actually went out with them once when I was in Turkey. That was my first time going overseas to participate in a rescue mission. And by then I really, I know the team really well. So they're professional. They're very fast. In four hours after the earthquake happened, they were packing because there is an unspoken rule.

if an earthquake happening anywhere around the world that is above magnitude 7.0 the team the china search and rescue team will be heading out with team members to assist in a rescue effort as soon as the

involving country for example is Myanmar or Turkey release on the United Nations website saying they do need help from other countries to help them to participate in the rescue mission the country's qualified under the insurrect the heavy machine certified rescue team

then they are allowed to head out once they receive the message. So China is just one of them.

In comparison to Turkey, I think the weather is definitely one of the key elements that's really different between Turkey and Myanmar. Myanmar, the highest degrees can go up to 43 degrees Celsius. You can imagine how hot it is when rescuers are working in the field. But in comparison to Turkey, it was 30 degrees below and it's crazily cold.

cold at night especially we were sleeping outside I remember we were covered under like six to seven layers of blanket and also compression shirt so that was a lot of coldness and without any water supply but for heading to Myanmar

I was all equipped with mosquito bites medicine as well as there are a lot of vaccine, oral vaccine that we have to take to avoid the diseases that can spread by mosquitoes here. So that's a completely different preparation in terms of medical condition and also the environment because we are not involving too much

For example, when it was cold in Turkey, we did not need to take a shower. But when we are in Myanmar, we need to take showers and the waters are no longer safe until this point, which is about seven days later.

So Mandalay is one of the hardest hit area in Myanmar and the journey we got here was very challenging. We flew to Rangon on the first day. I believe that was on a Saturday when we left and we arrived in Rangon five hours after the flight from Beijing to Rangon and we have to take

an 8 to 12 hours bus ride to Mandalay. However, because of the complicated political situation in the area, the 12-hour bus ride extended to be 24 hours almost. I believe it's 18 to 20 hours, not fully 24 hours.

It feels like that. So it wasn't a smooth journey at all and it took us way much longer than we are supposed to be and we were supposed to be. Some of the rescuers say if we can get here sooner, if we can get here

even faster maybe we can even save more people when we get here we can get here earlier because as i mentioned earlier the biggest difference here is the temperature the extremely high temperature that can cause

challenges to survival rates in the rubble. So these are something that we look closely to, especially in a rescue mission and also in terms of how the weather can impact people under the rubble for rescuers carry out a mission. I repeatedly mentioned hot weather is just because

I found a routine now. For example, from morning to noon it's okay to work but from noon to about 4pm local time you can barely survive out there. You have to find a shade to be under trees or be somewhere that's cooler so that you can battle the hot weather because

I believe the highest we saw when we were here was about 45 degrees Celsius. So it's not an easy temperature to battle with, especially rescuers need to fight against the clock to work, to drill, to knock on board to see if there are survivors underneath the rubble. So that was really challenging. When we arrived in Mandalay, it wasn't...

It wasn't like how we imagine. We're not saying it's okay is good. But when I was in Turkey, if we go into the city, it's piles of rubble everywhere.

But when we arrived in Mandalay, most of the buildings are actually standing because when we were on the bus, experts say majority of the housing in Mandalay are like the housing in suburban areas in China, Guangdong province or in Yunnan province or in Guangxi autonomous region. They are mostly...

two to four floor building but the most impacted mutings are actually apartment buildings they are like 11 floor and even taller than that the damage from the earthquake was I'm not like a building professional but I talked to expert they say it's also those sandwich and annealing which means it's like

off from one side, like part of the building is still standing, the other side completely fell off. And that was how the building actually looked like. They're either like kneeling on the ground or being sandwiched, meaning it's smashed from top to bottom or it's one side is still standing but the other side is tilted. Beyond broken buildings and blistering heat, the deepest scars of this mission were invisible.

Searching for survivors meant confronting the unbearable, the metallic scent of crushed concrete mixing with the smell of death. For rescuers and journalists, these moments may have left a memory deeper than any fatigue or mosquito bite. I think the post-disaster scene that struck me the most was the smell of the body. It might sound really weird, but it wasn't hitting me when I was in Turkey because...

the temperature is so low. So it wasn't like really coming to you as strong as where we were right now. When we go out in the field, that was like two to three days after just because the high temperature, the smell is so strong. All the rescuers, even reporters like I am, when we were standing outside and you come back from the field to campsite,

your clothes, not even your external layer, but the shirt that's underneath, it also smells like rotten. That was how strong the smell is. So with that strong of sense that you feel on the scene, you can know pretty much water supply and also other related systems that support the city can be impacted because they are not responding fast enough to handle this.

When we arrived on Sunday, that was two days after the earthquake happened, we already experienced rush hour in the city.

So the first impression is quite different from what we have expected. For example, we thought the city is completely in ruins. No, it's not. Most of the buildings are still standing. People are still go to do, still follow their daily routine. The only impacted are like for example, hotels or apartments. Those families are impacted the most but

In terms of others, I believe it still goes in a normal order. Also, you have to consider the religion background of the country. They believe in Buddhism, so they're modest, they're quiet, they pray when they see the disaster.

It's less of a struggle. Sometimes they will fight on a scene. It's that local rescuer wants to hide inside, but they don't have the equipment to rescue them.

survivors. So, for example, when China's search and rescue team is drilling, they might stop them from entering the scene, but they say they want to help their citizens or residents. And if we stop them, they're not happy about it. But that was a very minor sin. When we communicate, they were fine with it as long as they

the assembly line of transporting them to go out. China's search and rescue team basically head out every day to rescue, to find people who set their family members might trap inside or find any clue that they can potentially respond to, to drill a hole, to let the family see their

family members or trying to see if there's any clue inside to knock on boards that might press on the survivors to check if there's any voice inside. So they're going street by street to see if people need help or what help they can offer, especially in terms of rescue. They need to really go through pretty much every

Most of the collapsed buildings in the city, that was part of the hard work that they have to do to really eliminate any spot that they might have missed. I think the techniques are quite common because INSEREC means the team has capability to operate heavy machine which is certified by the United Nations.

So China has two teams, China search and rescue team and also China international search and rescue team are both certified as well as capable of using heavy equipment to operate and to carry out rescue mission. This equipment are not high-tech, they're like drills,

They can cut through concrete and those are some of and also the machine can go up as big as you think of that they can come handy as well as small ones to limit the damage to concrete or walls so that it won't cause any injury to the person inside. So it really depends on the scene and what tools they try to use.

We have volunteers from the Chinese embassy to help them on the scene to be translators. So the embassy, the Chinese embassy in Myanmar is offering great help. As one of the few international rescue forces and even fewer foreign media on the ground, China's presence became a lifeline. Local volunteers bridged the language gaps while survivors greeted every Chinese aid shipment with muted relief.

This mission did more than save lives. It revealed China's growing leadership in global disaster response. People know that you are coming to help them. So near our campsite, there are groups of volunteers helping out in the kitchen, also groups of volunteers stationed in front of our gate, just to make sure that when we head out in the city to carry out the operation, there is someone with us.

For example, when we go to talk to the survivors in the hospital, in the Mandala Hospital today, a volunteer was with us to make sure that we got the information that we needed and we can have our reporting go smoothly. So people are really appreciating the help from China's search and rescue team. The China teams I'm mentioning here also include non-governmental organizations from

For example, the RAM Rescue Union, Shenzhen Volunteer Foundation, they were all here. Some of them have already returned to China. But when people know that the Chinese rescuers are here, people are here to save their families. So these are the sentiments that are being passed here. And the most words that I have heard

Since the first day we've been here, it's "thank you" So I think that's something that has kept the rescuer spirit up. And we even found the fifth survivor after 120 hours after the earthquake happened. I talked to the rescuer, the longest one they have say up to 150 hours. This is still very long and this can be counted as a small miracle.

China has sent three batches of humanitarian aid to Myanmar. I think the third batch is already here or on its way here on Saturday. I think this is provided by the China International Development Cooperation Agency.

And the reason I know that it's because I was also covering that beat. And the agency I've talked to asked us to cover the first batch of AIDS being sent to Myanmar. And my colleague was there. Lots of supplies including tents, food. One of the things that's really missing in this bigger picture is that

they don't have fresh supplies so people are really depending on rice, dry food not much fresh products that's coming into the city nor being provided here I think the last thing I want to share about this rescue mission is that there are a few things that the rescuer keep mentioning first one is if they can get here sooner maybe they are able to

help more people. The other story is a family was trying to find their daughter. When they're trying to call their daughter, the phone can still connected, but they're not able to find her under the rubble. And the family keep walking on there every single day trying to find their daughter. And some of the rescuer here saying,

They even want to find the location to let the family know but they just couldn't find her. So they're good news but sometimes there is disappointment or sadness that's behind the screen or behind what we have covered. And it's not unusual for rescuers but it's just heartbroken for those who lost their families.

I think the feud experience is my second time as I mentioned. I think the biggest challenges I face is the mosquitoes. The mosquitoes is flying around me here. I'm not sure you guys can hear them but I have a feud mosquito bites on my legs, on my feet just by sitting here recording this 20ish minutes interview or sharing my experience here and it's very itchy.

So this is the biggest challenge for us because one of the rescuers, when they went inside, I was talking about the smell on their shirt, but when we get back in the camp, when the sky is dark, mosquitoes begin to come out as a cloud and it's very itchy. I have mosquito bites on my legs, on my feet, on my arm. And in terms of transporting communication, because I'm

actually an in-bat in the China Surgeon Rescue Team. So I flew here with them, I traveled with them, I pretty much stayed in a team. So they provide transportation when we go out in the field and make sure I don't go to dangerous spots where it might have crossfire. And the difficulties I didn't anticipate was the length of this trip and also I don't know when I would be back.

Hopefully soon because the government, the local fire department said the rescue mission is officially transitioning to recovery on Friday. So most of our work here is being done, but the medical workers are still heading out to have like free time.

session for locals to treat them, to help them see like CT scan or have diagnosis. So we are seeing some minor activity happening on the sidelines but rescue works are mostly done. It's also a time for me to reflect on how this trip is different than in Turkey and how China can make its voice heard internationally. I think one thing that I'm very proud of is

U.S. aid has been cut and the international community is saying that China is leading the rescue work here in Myanmar. And that's the case because China is among the first team to arrive in the scene. And not that China is showing off, but the rescue mission actually shows that China is capable

The 7.9 magnitude earthquake has so far claimed at least 3,400 lives and left nearly 5,000 injured.

While search efforts are transitioning to recovery, the true test begins: rebuilding not just collapsed buildings, but broken communities. For Myanmar, the road ahead is long. For the rest of the world, this disaster serves as a reminder that in moments of crisis, humanity's response defines us far more than the catastrophe itself. And this brings us to the end of this episode of Deep Dive.

If you enjoyed what you just heard, don't forget to follow us on your podcast platforms. Just search for Deep Dive. You can also leave a comment to let us know what you want to learn about China and beyond. This episode is brought to you by me, Li Yunqi, and my colleagues Zhang Zhang and Qi Zhi. Special thanks to CGTN reporter Chen Ziyuan. I'll see you in the next one.