Student's relief as family survives earthquake

A Burmese student in Sussex, whose home was damaged in the Myanmar earthquake, has told of his long wait to find out his parents were safe.

Aung Kaung Myat, a 23-year-old mechanical engineering student at the University of Sussex in Brighton, said it took several hours to contact his family in Mandalay after the 7.7 magnitude quake struck on Friday, killing more than 2,700 people.

Despite the damage to his family home, Mr Kaung Myat told BBC Radio Sussex they consider themselves lucky compared with others.

"Right now my family is currently safe, with just the house damaged. Thankfully they're safe and many others have not been as fortunate," he said.

"I was unable to call them for several hours when the earthquake started because there were no internet connections and all the phone lines were down. It happened at six in the morning UK time, at 2pm I was able to call them.

"Actually I had a call from one of my neighbours and they said my family were safe. That's my most important thing."

He added that he is unable to go back to his home county because of fears over conscription law and being involved in student demonstrations against the military coup.

Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, is near the epicentre where hundreds of buildings have collapsed and many people have lost everything.

"Our home has been damaged but compared to what others are going through, we would consider ourselves lucky," said Mr Kaung Myat, who has set up an online fundraising page to help buy medical supplies for local hospitals.

"The real concern is for those who have lost everything and those who've been injured, displaced and struggling to get even basic medical care and also food and even water."

More than 2,700 people have been killed so far in Myanmar, with more than 3,900 injured and about 270 missing.

Aid agencies have warned that the earthquake could exacerbate hunger and disease outbreaks in a country already wracked by food shortages, mass displacement and civil war.

"The earthquake itself is devastating, but what makes it even worse is that Mandalay, like the rest of Myanmar, is already in crisis," said Mr Kaung Myat.

"That means victims, especially those in public hospitals, who are really less fortunate, are left to save themselves right now."

Additional reporting by PA

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