A Vietnamese sapper team, working with Turkish and Myanmarese rescue units, successfully rescued a man who had been trapped for more than five days beneath the rubble of a collapsed hotel in Myanmar’s capital following a powerful earthquake. 

The operation took place on Wednesday as part of a broader humanitarian mission by Vietnam's rescue forces, recently deployed to Myanmar in response to the magnitude-7.7 earthquake that struck on March 28.

The rescue involved a 26-year-old Myanmarese man, Htet Maung Maung, who had been buried under the debris at the Aye Chan Thar Hotel in Naypyidaw.

Upon receiving reports that he was still alive, a six-member Vietnamese sapper team was immediately dispatched. They worked alongside Turkish and Myanmarese rescuers to devise a rescue plan.

Maung, a chef at the hotel, was found conscious and responsive, though he had gone without food or water. Rescuers administered intravenous fluids and coordinated his evacuation.

He was placed in an ambulance around 2:00 pm, greeted by cheers and relief from those at the scene. His health was reported to be stable at the time.

His father, U Myint Lin, said the family had received no information for nearly a week and was overwhelmed upon hearing he had survived.

In addition to the success, Vietnamese rescuers have also recovered the bodies of four earthquake victims in Myanmar.  

The latest recovery was made on the same afternoon, when a separate Vietnamese police rescue team recovered the body of a 56-year-old woman from a collapsed four-story building in Zabu Thiri Township. 

Colonel Nguyen Minh Khuong, deputy head of the Police Department of Fire Prevention and Fighting and Rescue under Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, said specialized equipment and sniffer dogs were used to locate victims.

The discovery marked the fourth body recovered by the Vietnamese teams during their ongoing operations.

Authorities believe another victim, an 81-year-old woman and mother of the previously recovered woman, remains trapped in the same building.

Vietnam deployed a 106-member rescue delegation to Myanmar on March 30. The team includes sappers, soldiers, police officers, and health workers.

Amid the extreme heat reaching 39 to 40 degrees Celsius, rescue efforts have continued despite difficult conditions. In addition to search and rescue operations, the team has supported displaced residents. 

On Wednesday morning, the Vietnamese personnel set up two tents at Taw Win Yadanar School, which is serving as a temporary shelter for around 200 people.

Health workers provided medical care and distributed supplies to those affected.

The earthquake, the deadliest in Myanmar in decades, has killed more than 3,000 people, as reported by Reuters at noon on Thursday.

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