In the hope of a miracle, rescue operations continue in quake-hit Myanmar. Both local and foreign emergency teams are working in tandem to rescue people from the piles of debris. The death toll has risen to over 2,700, with 441 missing. In a state of despair comes the rescue of a 63-year-old woman who was pulled out alive after 90 hours and later transferred to a hospital. Another 26-year-old man was also rescued alive after 100 hours from the rubble of a hotel in the capital, Naypyidaw.

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Every minute is crucial

Distraught people are taking shelter on the roads and sites away from debris in fear of aftershocks. Over 1,000 international aid workers have been flown down to Myanmar to expedite the rescue operation. The clock is ticking faster than usual in Myanmar where every minute is crucial and could translate to a life saved. The state media has reported that nearly 650 people have been rescued alive from rubble around the country.

Also read: Myanmar earthquake: Death toll nears 3,000, what are the survival chances of people trapped under rubble?

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A crematorium on the outskirts of Mandalay has received hundreds of bodies. And as the rescue operation continues, the number is estimated to rise.

Smallest coffins are the heaviest

At least 12 pre-school students were killed under the rubble. Two to seven years was the age of the children who succumbed to the disaster in Kyaukse, a town about 40km away from Mandalay.

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Bags, toys, and stationery were scattered around the building, which was reduced to rubble with very little left to call it a school. Piles of bricks and iron rods were all that was left of the structure. Parents were seen calling out to their babies in hope of hearing back. Locals were quoted in a report by news outlet BBC, saying that for three days they would hear people calling out to their children; late at night they would hear names, and now it is all quiet.