Blue Sky Rescue in Myanmar: Hope and Challenges

CGTN Europe spoke to Xia Ming, member of Advanced Team of the Blue Sky Rescue.

Transcript

00:00Xia Ming is from the Blue Sky Rescue Team.

00:04We are in Myanmar right now, and we are trying to save more lives,

00:11and despite the heat, the mosquitoes and the infectious disease that comes with it,

00:19and we are trying to answer to the calls of the local people,

00:23especially with the victims and the survivors' families.

00:27So we're now several days on from this huge earthquake.

00:30Is it still possible that survivors might be found, or is it now more in the recovery stage?

00:37We are not giving up our hopes, giving up our past experiences in Turkey, in Nepal,

00:45and there are miracles. We are all hoping for that.

00:49What about the kind of damage you're seeing? What are the state of the buildings?

00:52Are people able to go back and live in them, or is it worse than that?

00:57There are about three major sites with mass casualties,

01:03and one being a place called Sky Villa.

01:07It's a common medium, and it has about 400 victims and survivors.

01:13There are random houses that have been destroyed,

01:19and I would say the percentage of houses that have been kept in a relatively good shape is pretty high.

01:25So what about the people who have been displaced?

01:28How important in the coming days are things like shelter, as well as food and water?

01:35This is very important, and I think most people know that BMI is right now going too high.

01:43It's a very high temperature, 40 degrees Celsius in the daytime,

01:47and BMI is also known for the mosquitoes and malaria.

01:54So a proper shelter, especially mosquito nets, is very important to ensure the health and safety of the local people.

02:03Food and water is very important to keep the morale and keep the supply up.

02:11What about your teams?

02:13What particular challenges are they facing, and what do they need most now to help?

02:19For my team, we are prepared, we're self-sustained,

02:25and we have received tremendous support from the local community,

02:29especially in the communal temple, as well as a lot of support from the local Chinese communities.

02:37And right now, I think we're all trying to try our last grasp for the hope that we can rescue more people from the disaster.

02:49And I wonder how it feels for you to be able to help in this really difficult situation.

02:56I think I'm very, very grateful for the opportunity that I could be part of the rescue operation

03:04and being a member of the ADVANCE team.

03:07I had the privilege of entering relatively early in the disaster,

03:13and it's quite heartbroken when you see the damages, and you get a value.

03:23But we quickly, 100 percent focused on the work that we need to be done.

03:30It's also very heartwarming when we see the support from the local people.