JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
One month after a devastating earthquake rocked Myanmar, some victims' bodies still have not been found. So far, officials report about 3,800 deaths, but many people say they're still waiting for news of their missing loved ones. Reporter Dave Grunebaum reports on the pain for one father who lost his family and the challenges another family faces now. And a warning - his story contains graphic detail about those who died in the disaster.
(SOUNDBITE OF JACKHAMMER)
DAVE GRUNEBAUM, BYLINE: The sounds of jackhammers, as crews drill through thick slabs of concrete, one on top of another.
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GRUNEBAUM: This used to be the 12-story Sky Villa Condominium complex in Mandalay, but now much of it is reduced to rubble after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on March 28. Watching silently, about 200 meters away is Sai Myo Tun. He lived in the complex with his family. When the earthquake struck that afternoon, he was on his way to buy fruit for the kids. The ground started shaking and his condominium complex collapsed, bearing his wife, San Tip, and two daughters, 6-year-old Nang Han Mien and 3-year-old Nang Mway San.
SAI MYO TUN: (Through interpreter) I went through the rubble with my bare hands, and I tried to look for my family. I couldn't find them since I was just using my hands to dig through it.
GRUNEBAUM: One month later, the stench from decomposing bodies is so strong that recovery workers wore up to three layers of face masks. Even then, one of them vomited on the site. There's no official tally, but crews say there may still be more than 100 bodies buried underneath the rubble, including Sai Myo Tun's wife and daughters.
TUN: (Through interpreter) Since I haven't seen their bodies, I still cannot believe they are really gone. But I don't have any hope to find them alive. Now, I am just praying to find their dead bodies. Every day I come here and wait for their dead bodies to be found.
GRUNEBAUM: Mandalay is about 10 miles from the earthquake's epicenter. Many buildings, health clinics, as well as religious and historical sites were destroyed or badly damaged in Myanmar's second biggest city. At a makeshift camp, a group of volunteers drove a pickup truck stuffed with packages of instant noodles and energy drinks that they handed out.
(CROSSTALK)
GRUNEBAUM: About 800 people stay here, including Thaw Thaw, a 29-year-old primary school teacher who's here with her parents and 76-year-old grandmother. Their home was badly damaged by the earthquake. Now they all sleep under a green tarp that covers about 7 by 12 feet of space. There's a wood plank a few feet off the ground for Grandma to sleep on. The beds for the rest of the family are just plastic tarps and blankets on top of a dirt road.
THAW THAW: (Through interpreter) We cannot guess how long we will be living like this. We dare not go back to our house. We cannot sleep well. We have to continue to live on the streets.
GRUNEBAUM: Aid groups have expressed concerns about the risk of outbreak of diseases in makeshift camps like this where sanitation is poor. Thaw Thaw says they have mosquito nets and access to clean water, but they still worry about dengue fever, snake bites and basic hygiene. Litter is scattered about. There are only a few toilets and people defecate outside.
THAW THAW: (Through interpreter) Living together with so many people in this condition, diseases are prone to happen.
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GRUNEBAUM: Back at the site of the collapsed apartment complex, Sai Myo Tun sadly watches the recovery crews dig through the rubble.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).
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GRUNEBAUM: He longs for the happy times he used to share with his family - simple pleasures like singing a lullaby to his daughters each night.
TUN: (Through interpreter) My two daughters only go to bed if I tuck them in. Every night, I sing to them at bedtime. Now I can't do that anymore.
GRUNEBAUM: For NPR News, I'm Dave Grunebaum.
(SOUNDBITE OF ED SHEERAN SONG, "EYES CLOSED") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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