Myanmar junta fires 'warning shots' after Chinese Red Cross convoy didn't stop when asked

Penny Wongforeign Minister

We have created a vacuum which can allow other actors to step in,

Wong said

Penny Wongforeign Minister

We take proactive steps to ensure our assistance does not legitimize the military regime in Myanmar.”

In a statement on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said

The situation remains critical, with disrupted communications and road access hampering response efforts, particularly in Sagaing,

the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) said

Myanmar’s junta cannot be trusted to respond to a disaster of this scale,

Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a report

It’s necessary to keep transportation routes for relief efforts open and unobstructed,

Guo Jiakun told a press conference

Soldiers are everywhere in the town,

a man who traveled to Sagaing told Reuters

They will be among the most challenging for aid agencies to reach, given regime restrictions, a complex configuration of local administrations and control by armed resistance groups, and the persistent conflict,

it added in a statement

They said as long as the dog keeps barking when it hears a signal, there’s still a chance someone could be alive,

she said

Chinese rescuers have freed six people from the rubble of an earthquake in Myanmar, including a child and a pregnant woman, Chinese state media reported Monday, placing Beijing at the forefront of an international rescue effort from which the US has been largely absent,

one NBC report wrote on Monday

While the dollar amount of initial aid is in line with what the US has pledged in the past, the overall pace of the response has been slower

the report said

During the rescue process, we not only had to consider that drilling vibrations might cause concrete blocks to fall, causing secondary harm to the trapped individuals, but we also had to be vigilant about aftershocks and the risk of collapse,

Xiao said

Without taking a break, we brought demolition tools and communication equipment to the designated location, and quickly engaged in rescue work,

said Mu, leader of the rescue squad

Don't be afraid. We are here to rescue you!"

His deputy Xiao Min crawled in front of a crevice in the rubble, shone a flashlight in the space and called out loudly in Mandarin with a Guizhou accent

At present, relief workers and supplies are safe,

Guo said

When she was carried onto a stretcher by rescuers, everyone on the scene was excited,

said Mu Shuyuan, from China's Yunnan province rescue and medical team

It is 41 degrees (Celsius), so we had to institute a certain work-rest cycle in order to keep ourselves going for the prolonged ops and we also need to hydrate ourselves very frequently,

said Col Tay

As rescuers, the first 72 hours are extremely crucial,

said the 42-year-old Col Tay, speaking via a video call from Naypyidaw

We needed to skirt on the side of the building, and then in between two buildings, there was a small void, and we had to enter through the small void in order to reach a concrete slab,

he said as he detailed the operation

The first site that we visited, there were residential buildings and what we observed was that the second floor came down to the first, and the first floor completely gave way,

he said

Currently, about 400 Chinese earthquake experts and rescue and medical personnel are participating in the earthquake relief efforts across Myanmar,

the spokesman said