section_path: Aftermath
section_name: Aftermath
paragraph_text: Aftermath
  
  In a statement by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on 1 April, shelter, clean water and medicine were running low in Myanmar. Additionally, due to the lack of clean water, the United Nations warned about the possibility of a cholera outbreak. The World Health Organization said that many hospitals in the region were also running beyond their intended capacity. Damaged roads and bridges also hampered rescue missions. OCHA added that it took their team 13 hours to reach Mandalay from Yangon instead of the typical eight-hour travel time. In many parts of Myanmar, the first responders were volunteer groups who, without special equipment, tried to pull survivors from the rubble.
  
  Although the military regime appealed for international aid, several human rights organisations said there is selective allocation of assistance. Some affected regions such as Sagaing and Shan were receiving less aid whereas most resources were directed at Mandalay and Naypyidaw. Some groups said the regime may be falsely claiming logistical challenges to rationalise restricting aid in resistance-controlled areas. Amnesty International also shared a similar statement. United Nations rapporter Tom Andrews said there were many reports of the military preventing aid and workers from accessing some areas.
  
  Many residents in Mandalay slept in the streets during the first night after the earthquake due to persistent aftershocks. Due to limited equipment and emergency specialists, the city's residents conducted their own rescue activities. On 29 March, rescuers were still working to retrieve at least 90 people trapped in one of the condominiums that collapsed. According to a Red Cross member, nine bodies and 44 survivors were pulled from the wreckage. The Mandalay General Hospital reached its capacity and dozens of injured patients received treatment outside the building. Fires also spread through Thannauk, Sein Pan and Maha Aungthan West wards with the latter being entirely reduced to ashes, according to Mandalay residents. Roads closures and fuel shortages in Mandalay continued to hinder rescue efforts. By 31 March, the Myanmar Fire Services Department said it rescued 403 people and recovered 259 bodies in the city. While most residents left their apartments, reports emerged of lootings at night in some parts of the city. More than 40 injured inmates at the Mandalay Central Prison were denied treatment at main hospitals despite their pleas.
  
  In Sagaing, a resident said many bodies were buried in mass graves but due to the lack of space, others were sent to nearby Mandalay for cremation. Even so, there was a lack of cremators to accommodate the overwhelming number of dead which began to decompose in the days after the earthquake. Officials were short on body bags, food and dress. Rescue efforts in the city were minimal, in part due to a collapsed fire station trapping emergency personnel and lack of safe bridge access from Mandalay. Many bodies remained buried beneath the rubble while much of the city was abandoned. Residents also reported a strong stench emanating from residential areas due to unrecovered bodies. As the Muslim cemetery in Sagaing had been closed due to fighting between the military and rebels, the remains of Muslim fatalities were transported to Mandalay for burial.
  
  In Naypyidaw, many people were buried beneath collapsed structures. The junta leader initially did not disclose the extent of damage in the capital but later said the scale was "massive". The city morgue was overwhelmed by the number of bodies and the lack of power meant they were rotting. Decomposing bodies were also found along the road outside the facility. Workers of the junta regime continued to work in the open lawn beside the ruins of their ministry buildings. The National Disaster Management Committee office was severely damaged thus workers held meetings at the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief, and Resettlement. Although the regime sent teams to the collapsed housing complex areas, they did not assist in rescue. The regime announced in April that they would revise the city's urban planning and new office buildings would be earthquake-resistant.
  
  Nearly a week after the earthquake, rescue efforts were still ongoing in Taungoo, Bago. A resident said there was no international assistance so residents carried out rescue efforts themselves while a social worker said their equipment were inadequate. Telecommunication services in Yangon were disabled from the time of the earthquake until past 22:00 MMT. Electricity was only available intermittently, and in townships further afield not available at all. In Pathein, Ayeyarwady Region, the earthquake knocked out electrical services and disabled the generators used for water pumping for several days. By 7 April, the rescue teams from several countries left Myanmar after completing rescue efforts and few teams remained in Naypyidaw. In Sagaing city, rescue works ended on 6 April as clean-up and restoration was underway.
  
  In Bangkok, trading on the Stock Exchange of Thailand was suspended. The finance ministry did not report any major losses on the economy, fiscal infrastructure or financial system.
  
  Thai Air Traffic Control issued a nationwide no-fly order for all airports, while train services between Bangkok and north and northeastern Thailand were also suspended. Services on the BTS Skytrain and "long-distance" routes were resumed by the evening of 28 March. The MRT Blue Line and Purple Line resumed operations on the morning of 29 March, followed by the Yellow Line on 30 March. The Pink Line partially reopened on 31 March; Min Buri station remained closed until 16 April due to a dislocated power rail. Inspectors were deployed across Bangkok to check the safety of buildings.
  
  On 29 March, rescuers said at least 15 people were found alive but trapped within the rubble of the State Audit Office building site in Chatuchak district. Many of the workers trapped were believed to be migrants from Myanmar. Rescuers used drones, sniffer dogs and cranes to carry out their operations. The family members of those trapped also visited the site of the collapse.
  
  On 31 March, a mb 4.1 aftershock caused additional buildings to collapse in Mandalay. By 5 April, power outages continued to affect the vast majority of residents in Yangon, Mandalay and Naypyidaw. On 13 April, a M 5.3 aftershock collapsed a dam in Tatkon Township, and an apartment building in Mandalay. More buildings collapsed in Mandalay due to heavy rains on 10 May. On 17 May, a M 5.2 aftershock near Myittha caused a tree to fall onto a temporary tent in Maha Aungmye Township, killing a father and his son.