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Heartbroken parents call out children’s names at earthquake-hit pre-school
Heatbroken parents of the victims of the Myanmar earthquakes could not hold back their tears on Monday, March 31, 2025.
BBC reports the heartwrenching experience from seeing toys of favourite cartoons for children, like Spiderman toys and letters of the alphabet.
These were scattered among broken chairs, tables and garden slides at the remains of this preschool destroyed by the huge earthquake that hit Myanmar on Friday.
The incident occured in the town of Kyaukse, about 40km (25 miles) south of Mandalay.
Mandalay was one of the areas hit hardest by the 7.7 magnitude quake that killed at least 2,000 people.
According to BBC, one of the parents, Kywe Nyein, 71, wept as he explained that his family were preparing to hold the funeral of his five-year-old granddaughter, Thet Hter San.
He recounted how her mother was having lunch when the devastating earthquake began.
She ran to the school, but the building had collapsed completely.
The little girl’s body was found about three hours later.
“Fortunately, we got our beloved’s body intact, in one piece,” he says.
Locals say there were about 70 children, aged between two and seven, at the school on Friday, learning happily.
But now there is little left except a pile of bricks, concrete and iron rods.
The school says 12 children and a teacher died, but locals believe the number is at least 40.
According to reports, that was how many children who were in the downstairs section that collapsed.
Residents and parents are distraught. People say the whole town came to help with the rescue work and several bodies were retrieved on Friday.
They describe mothers crying and calling out the names of their children long into the night.
Monday, March 31, 2025, the site is quiet. People stared with grief written all over their faces.
Aid groups are warning of a worsening humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, with hospitals damaged and overwhelmed.
Although residents suspect that the full scale of devastation is still emerging.
The image of heartbroken parents calling out their children’s names at an earthquake-hit preschool paints a deeply emotional and tragic scene.
In the aftermath of a devastating earthquake, families often face unimaginable fear and anguish as they search for their loved ones.
For parents, the moment of uncertainty, mixed with hope and despair, as they call out their children’s names in hopes of hearing a response, is heartbreaking.
In such a situation, the emotional toll on the families, rescue workers, and the community at large is profound.
The fear of losing a child, the grief of not knowing their fate, and the overwhelming desire to find them alive can be crushing.
This kind of event underscores the importance of immediate response, aid, and support for those affected.
It also highlights the need for proper infrastructure, safety measures, and preparedness in schools and communities to mitigate the damage caused by natural disasters like earthquakes.
KYWE NYEIN RECOUNTS HIS EXPERIENCE
“Before we arrived in Kyaukse, we had been in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw.
“The worst-hit area we saw there was a building that had been residential quarters for civil servants.
“The whole ground floor had collapsed, leaving the three upper floors still standing on top of it.
“There were traces of blood in the rubble.
“The intense stench suggested many people had died there, but there was no sign of rescue work.
“A group of policemen were loading furniture and household goods on to trucks, and appeared to be trying to salvage what was still useable.
“The police officer in charge would not give us an interview, though we were allowed to film for a while.
“We could see people mourning and desolate, but they did not want to speak to the media, fearing reprisals from the military government.
“We were left with so many questions. How many people were under the rubble? Could any of them still be alive? Why was there no rescue work, even to retrieve the bodies of the dead?
“Just 10 minutes’ drive away, we had visited the capital’s largest hospital – known here as the “1,000-bed hospital”.
“The roof of the emergency room had collapsed. At the entrance, a sign saying “Emergency Department” in English lay on the ground.
“There were six military medical trucks and several tents outside, where patients evacuated from the hospital were being cared for.
“The tents were being sprayed with water to give those inside some relief from the intense heat.
“It looked like there were about 200 injured people there, some with bloodied heads, others with broken limbs.
“We saw an official angrily reprimanding staff about other colleagues who had not turned up to work during the emergency.
“I realised the man was the minister for health, Dr Thet Khaing Win, and approached him for an interview but he curtly rejected my request.” he added.
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