I Am Free”: Myanmar Teacher Rescued from Rubble Five Days After Earthquake

“I Am Free”: Myanmar Teacher Freed After Five Days Buried Under Earthquake Debris
Sagaing, Myanmar – Teacher Tin Maung Htwe became a symbol of strength after being pulled from the ruins of a collapsed hotel where he was buried for five days after a deadly 7.7-magnitude earthquake. The headmaster of a primary school was at a training session in Sagaing, the nearest point to the epicenter of the quake, when disaster hit.

The 47-year-old recalled an important lesson he learned at school: to take cover under a bed when there is an earthquake. “As soon as I under the bed, the entire hotel collapsed and was obstructed. All that I could afford to utter was ‘save me’,” he described, explaining the horrific moments of the earthquake. His cries for help reverberated through the wreckage, but he was pinned beneath Swal Taw Nann guesthouse, now converted into a rubble of bricks and deformed metal.

I was in hell,” he muttered weakly, with an oxygen tube in his nose and two intravenous lines replacing the fluid reserve of his body. “My body was burning, and all my body needed was water. I couldn’t find that water anywhere.”. So my body had to supplement the water my body needed by using liquids being expelled by my body.

The damage in Sagaing was extensive, with much more damage than at nearby Mandalay. Main roads were impassable, making rescues difficult, and the Ava bridge, a major connection between the two cities, collapsed, with sections under water in the Irrawaddy River.

In spite of anxiety that no one would survive, a Malaysian team, assisted by the Myanmar Red Cross, found Tin Maung and arranged his dramatic rescue from the rubble. His sister, Nan Yone, who was waiting with relatives at the site, told of the moment when he was pulled out: “I can’t describe it.I was dancing, crying, and slapping my chest because I was so happy.”

As he was wheeled into Sagaing’s central hospital, Tin Maung thumbs-upped to his sister and assured her, shouting, “Sister, I am very good.” Nurses treated him on an outdoor gurney—where all patients are now treated because of aftershock fears—while his sister explained his indomitable spirit: “His will is very strong, and I think that is why he survived.”
Looking back at his experience, Tin Maung was deeply relieved to be alive. “I am happy that I am free now. I wouldn’t be able to do anything if I was dead. I didn’t die, so now I can do whatever I wish.” He hoped to go back to teaching, but he also had a life-altering consideration: “I am thinking about becoming a Buddhist monk.”

Tin Maung Htwe’s survival is not only a testament to the resilience and determination of the human will but also a powerful reminder of the human ability to survive and heal from unimaginable adversity. As Sagaing embarks on the long journey of healing, tales like these give hope in the face of devastating conditions.