Turkish team rescues 26-year-old survivor five days after earthquake in Myanmar
Turkish and Myanmar rescuers rescuers pull a man from the rubble of a Myanmar hotel alive in Naypyidaw, Myanmar on April 2, 2025. (AFP Photo)
A 26-year-old man was pulled alive from the rubble of a hotel in Myanmar’s capital on Wednesday, five days after a devastating earthquake struck the country, killing more than 3,000 people.
The rescue was carried out by a joint team of Turkish and Myanmar rescuers around 12:30 a.m. local time (6:00 p.m. GMT on Tuesday). The man, identified as Naing Lin Tun, was freed from the collapsed building in Naypyidaw, where he worked.
Turkish and Myanmar rescuers save 26-year-old Naing Lin Tun, pulling him from rubbles five days after devastating earthquake that killed over 3,000 pic.twitter.com/HTUmBLyYSB
— Türkiye Today (@turkiyetodaycom) April 3, 2025
Rescue teams used an endoscopic camera to locate the man and confirm he was alive, officials said. The team then carefully extracted him through a hole jackhammered through the building’s floor, nearly 108 hours after the earthquake trapped him.
Shirtless and covered in dust, Naing appeared weak but conscious in a video released by the local fire department.
The rescue was hailed as miraculous, as chances of survival under the rubble had sharply decreased with each passing day after the first 24 hours.
Devastating earthquakes in Myanmar
The death toll from the two earthquakes, measuring 7.7 and 6.4 in magnitude, has risen to 3,145, according to Myanmar’s ruling junta.
State-run Myanmar Television (MRTV) reported that the number of casualties and injuries continues to rise. The earthquakes, which struck the Sagaing region on March 28, have also left 4,589 people injured.
Rescue operations are still underway, with more than 221 people reported missing.
The earthquakes, which also caused significant damage in neighboring Thailand and China, have prompted concerns over the growing death toll as efforts to locate survivors continue.
