Buried alive for 5 days—how a Myanmar teacher survived the earthquake

Myanmar was rocked by a devastating magnitude 7.7 earthquake on Friday, the strongest in at least a century. The epicenter was located just 10 miles outside of Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city. The quake caused widespread destruction, with significant impacts felt in the capital Naypyidaw. It has been estimated that more than 3000 people have died. Rescue efforts are ongoing, but the scale of destruction has left many families still searching for their loved ones.

Among the many caught in the disaster was Tin Maung Htwe, a 47-year-old primary school headmaster attending a training course in Sagaing, one of the hardest-hit areas. When the earthquake struck, he followed a lesson from his childhood—taking cover under his bed. Moments later, the Swal Taw Nann guesthouse collapsed around him, burying him under the debris.

“As soon as I went under the bed, the whole hotel fell down,” he recalled. “All I could afford was to say, ‘Save me.’”


Five days trapped under rubbleSagaing suffered catastrophic destruction, with entire buildings reduced to rubble. Great fissures tore through roads, disrupting traffic and rescue efforts, while the collapse of the Ava Bridge over the Irrawaddy River further hampered emergency response.

Trapped on the ground floor of the ruined hotel, Tin Maung Htwe found himself in complete darkness. With no access to food or water, he faced unbearable thirst. Desperate to stay alive, he made the only choice available—drinking his own urine.

“My body was burning hot, and all I needed was water,” he said weakly from his hospital bed. “I couldn’t get that water from anywhere. So I had to refill the water my body needed with fluids coming out of my body.”

A miraculous rescueBy the time rescuers reached the hotel’s wreckage, they had stopped expecting to find survivors. The Myanmar Red Cross was primarily recovering bodies when a Malaysian rescue team was called in after detecting signs of life beneath the debris.


Tin Maung Htwe’s sister, Nan Yone, 50, anxiously waited as rescuers worked to pull him out. When he was finally freed on Wednesday, she was overwhelmed with emotion.

“I was dancing, crying, and beating my chest because I was so happy,” she said.

Despite his harrowing ordeal, Tin Maung Htwe remained resilient. “I am glad I am free now,” he told AFP. “I wouldn’t be able to do anything if I was dead. I didn’t die, so now I can do whatever I wish.”

While he hopes to return to his work as a schoolteacher, he is also considering a different path. “I am considering becoming a Buddhist monk,” he said.

Amidst the tragedy, Tin Maung Htwe’s survival stands as a rare glimmer of hope—a testament to human endurance in the face of disaster.