On March 31, Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security rescue team, currently on a humanitarian mission in Myanmar, discovered three potential entrapment sites within a collapsed residential building. At 8:30 p.m. local time, the body of a 10-year-old boy was recovered from the debris.

According to the team’s report, the transport vehicle carrying search and rescue equipment arrived at the staging area at 3:15 p.m. local time. Officers and rescue personnel were divided into two units to prioritize the unloading of essential tools, including multi-functional cutters, hydraulic drills, lighting systems, and generators.

Colonel Nguyen Minh Khuong, Deputy Director of the Fire and Rescue Police Department (Ministry of Public Security) and head of the mission, stated that as soon as the equipment arrived, the team immediately began search operations.

“The search was scheduled to continue throughout the afternoon and evening,” Colonel Khuong noted. “Earlier that morning, we identified three locations where victims were likely trapped inside a four-story building with 24 rooms. Two individuals were located - one of them a child.” At 8:30 p.m., rescue forces successfully retrieved the body of the 10-year-old boy.

In the morning, rescue personnel from Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security and Ministry of National Defense held a tactical meeting with coordinators from Myanmar’s Emergency Disaster Relief Center. Following the meeting, Myanmar’s liaison officers led the Vietnamese delegation to the first disaster site, about 20 minutes from their base.

The rescue site is located in the Balathidi residential area of Zabuthiri township. Rescue teams identified a man over 60 years old trapped at the front of the building and a woman in her 30s trapped toward the rear.

“From our initial assessment, we detected the scent of human remains. We deployed trained rescue dogs and advanced detection tools to identify victim locations,” a representative from the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security’s Rescue Unit confirmed.