Dramatic still are the images coming from the Myanmarwhich last Friday (28.03.25) was hit by the murder earthquake 7.7 degrees on the Richter scale.
Thousands of dead and injured, hundreds of missing, neighborhoods – “ghosts” leveled by the earthquake – mammoth, pain and lament, is the scene in Myanmar, a few days after the deadly stroke of Enceladus.
Somewhere there between the debris, the dramatic story of a man, who mourns his 170 loved ones killed during the earthquake.
As he sounded the call for prayer to Sagaing last Friday, hundreds of Muslims rushed to the city’s five mosques in downtown Myanmar. They were looking forward to Friday’s last prayer for Ramadan, a few days before the EID festive season that would mean the end of the sacred month, according to the BBC.
However, at 12:51 local time, the 7.7 Richter earthquake hit the area: Three mosques collapsed, including the largest, Myomakilling almost all those inside.
Hundreds of kilometers away, the former imam of myoma mosque, soe nay oo, He felt the earthquake while in the city of Mae Sot, near the border but on the Thai side. A few days later he learned that about 170 relatives, friends and members of his former church had been killed, mainly in the mosques. Some were leading personalities of the city’s Muslim community.
“I think of all the people who lost their lives and the children of the victims – Some of them are little kids »he told the BBC. “I can’t contain my tears when I talk about it.”
While the area was known for its ancient Buddhist temples, there is an important Muslim population in these cities. It is estimated that 500 Muslims died while praying to their mosques, according to data provided by the country’s leader, Min aung hling, Monday.
Only in the mosque Myomamore than 60 people are said to have been trapped by debris, While dozens of others died in the mosques Myodaw and Moekya. There are indications that the faithful tried to go out, According to Soe Nay Oo, who has received many reports from surviving members of his community.
He is currently living in the city of Mae Sot, Thailand with his wife and daughter as he escaped from Myanmar shortly after the coup held in 2021. There were bodies outside the main prayer room, He said, in the area where the faithful are washed. Some They also found to hold other people’s hands, In something that looked like attempts to pull them away from the building as they collapsed.
Among the many loved ones lost by Soe Nay Oo was one of his wife’s cousins. Her death, she said, was ‘The most painful thing i have endured’ In 13 years as an imam. “It was she who showed us the most of her love,” said Soe Nay Oo. “Everyone in the family loved her. The loss is unbearable for us. “
He still remembers a relative, a respectable businessman who had made the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca: “He always called me Nyi Lay [«μικρός αδερφός» στα Βιρμανικά]… When I got married to my wife, he said we were now a family and always treated me like his little brother, “said Soe Nay Oo.
“He was always with us whenever we needed him. I have lost those I love as brothers, like him. “
Some of his close friends who died include the former assistant Imam of Soe Nay Oo, whom he remembered for his intense work ethics and his remarkable talent in the Koran recitation. The headmaster of the local public school, who was also the only female Mosquito Mosque, died. Soe Nay Oo remembered her as a generous soul who often paid for mosque programs from her pocket.
He said that every time he hears about another person from the dying community, he is experiencing a new wave of sadness. “I feel crushed … Although they were not close relatives, they were the ones who always welcomed me, followed my prayers and prayed with me.”
“If I were still imam, at the time of the earthquake, I would have gone with them – I can accept it peacefully. If not, at least I could be there to do what I can. Now I can’t go back. It’s painful to think about it. “
Soe Nay Oo started crying. “This sad and frustrating feeling I have at the momentI haven’t felt it again in my life. I am a man who is hard to cry. ” Adds that he can’t sleep for days. His concern has been enlarged by the fact that he has not yet heard from some family members, including his brothers in Mandalei.
The story of Soe Nay Oo is not the only one. Unfortunately, with the number of dead increasing constantly, new shocking testimonies come to light from the dramatic moments that unfolded during the 7.7 earthquake.
It is noted that The number of dead amounted to 2,886, while the injured are 4,639 and the missing 373, It was reported today by the state -run news agency of China Xinhua, citing the Information Service of the State Council of Management of Myanmar.