Cologne/Yangon. Malteser International and its local partners will provide medical assistance, psychosocial support, clean water and sanitation to the people in the Mandalay region, one of the hardest-hit areas in central Myanmar. Two days after the disaster, the full extent of the damage remains unclear, and emergency teams still lack information from remote areas. Damaged roads and collapsed bridges continue to hinder relief efforts. Malteser International’s Country Director in Myanmar reported on Sunday morning European Time: “Our teams are witnessing unimaginable devastation. Many people have lost everything and will bear the consequences of this tragedy for the rest of their lives. Tent cities are being set up without access to clean water or sanitation. Beyond the fear of aftershocks, we are deeply concerned about the rapid spread of infectious diseases among the survivors.”

Malteser International is deploying its teams strategically, focusing on immediate aid, assessing further needs, identifying viable transport routes through less-damaged roads, and securing essential medical supplies. Emergency relief experts from the Cologne headquarters of Malteser International are on their way to support local teams and coordinate with international aid organizations. Malteser International has been working as a humanitarian relief organization in Southeast Asia’s poorest country for many years.

The Order of Malta has been working in Myanmar since 1996 and in Thailand since 1979. In Thailand, Malteser International provides health care for refugees along the Thai-Myanmar border. The Malteser International team on the ground is currently assessing the extent to which the refugee camps in Thailand they are supporting have been affected by the earthquake.

Attention editorial team:

German and English-speaking experts from Malteser International are available for interviews and sound bites in Germany and Myanmar.

For more information and interviews, please contact: olga.palinkasev@malteser-international.org

The people in Myanmar and Thailand are in urgent need of donations.