The man mourns 170 loved ones

As the call for prayer rang in sagling last Friday, hundreds of Muslims hurried to the five mosques in Central Myanmar.

They did not eager to hold their prayers on the last Friday for Ramadan, just a few days from the festive ID period, which would mark the end of the Holy Month.

Then, at 12:51 local time (06:21 GMT), it hit a deadly earthquake. Three mosques collapsed, including the largest, fibroids, killing almost everyone inside.

Hundreds of kilometers, the former I have a fibroid mosque, SOE Nay Oo, felt the earthquake in the Thai border city of May Sot.

In the coming days, he realized that about 170 of his relatives, friends and members of his former congregation had died, most of all in the mosques. Some were leading figures in the nearby Muslim community in the city.

“I think of all the people who have lost their lives and the children of the victims – some of them are young children,” he told the BBC. “I can’t keep my tears when I talk about it.”

More than 2,700 people were killed in the earthquake that happened near Saga and Mandalay, Myanmar’s second city. The death rate is expected to rise as rescuers continue to withdraw bodies from ruins.

While the area was known for its ancient Buddhist temples, cities were also home to a significant Muslim population.

Approximately 500 Muslims died as they prayed in their mosques, according to data given by the country’s leader, Min Aun Carring on Monday.

Eyewitnesses to the sagging have told the BBC that the path where the mosques is, the Mioma Street, is the biggest blow in the city. Many other houses on the street have also collapsed.

Hundreds of people have sought asylum along the road, or because they are now homeless, or are afraid to return to their homes too much if there are afters. Food supplies are reported to be scarce.

Only the fibroids say that over 60 people are crushed in the collapse, while the results have died more in the Myodaw and Moekya mosques. More bodies were still withdrawn on Tuesday.

There are indications that pilgrims have tried to escape, according to SOE Nay Oo, who has received many reports from surviving members of his community.

He currently lives in Thai city of May Sot with his wife and daughter after escaping from Myanmar shortly after coup carried out in 2021

There were bodies found outside the main prayer hall, he said in the area where the worshipers were washed. Some were found and clutching hands of other people, what looked like trying to pull them out of the destroyed building.

Among the many loved ones who are not lost, he was one of his wife’s cousins. Her death, he said, was the “most painful thing I had endured” in his 13 years as I have.

“She was the one who showed us the most love,” said SOE Nay Oo. “Everyone in the family loved her. The loss is unbearable to us.”

Another of his wife’s cousins, a respected businessman who has committed Islamic worship in Mecca, has also died.

“He always called me Nuy Lee (” Little Brother “of Burman) … When I married my wife, he said we were a family now and always treated me like his little brother,” said the Oo Oo.

“He was always with us when we needed him. I lost those I love as brothers like him.”

Some of the victims of close friends include the former Imam Imam of SOE Nay Oo, whom he remembers his strong working ethics and the remarkable talent in reciting the Qur’an.

The director of the local public school, who was also the only guardian of the fibroid mosque, also died. She was remembered by Soe Nay Oo as a generous soul, who often paid for mosque programs from her own pocket.

He said every time he hears another person from the deceased community, he is experiencing a new wave of grief. “I feel devastated … It always comes to my mind, the memories that appreciate them.

“Although they were not close relatives, they were the ones who always greeted me, followed my prayers and who prayed together.”

The fact that they died during Ramadan is not lost. “Everyone who has gone back to Allah’s home, I would say. They will be remembered as martyrs respectively,” he said.

Like other parts of Myanmar affected by the earthquake, the community is struggling to deal with the large number of bodies.

It is complicated by the ongoing fighting between the military junta and the resistance groups. The Muslim sagging cemetery is close to an area controlled by the rebel defense forces (PDF) and has been closed to society for several years. The military continues to bombard some parts of the broader region of sagging after the earthquake.

The Muslim Saging City community had to move the bodies of its dead in Mandalay, crossing the Iravadi River, using the only bridge connecting the two cities according to SOE Nay Oo.

Their bodies are left in the largest Mandalay mosque for funeral. Some are not buried within 24 hours of their death under Islamic tradition.

“For Muslims, the most sad thing is that we cannot bury our families alone at the end of their journey,” he said.

The survivors are trying to help save, even when dealing with the trauma. “Some of my community told me to pray for them. To be honest, they couldn’t even describe their loss in words when I talk to them.”

It is difficult for soy not to be far from his former congregation. As Many other people from Myanmar who have migrated abroadHe feels the guilt of survivors.

“If I was still the imam, at the time of the earthquake I would have gone with them – that I could accept calmly. If not, at least I could be on earth to do whatever I can.

“I can’t get back now. It’s painful to think about it.

Soe Nay Oo started sobbing. “This sad and disappointed feeling I have right now. I’ve never felt that way in my life before. I am the person I would hardly cry.

He added that he had failed to sleep for days. His worries have increased from the fact that he has not yet heard from some family members, including his own siblings in Mandalay.

Soe Nay Oo pauses his work for a human rights group in Thailand and is currently helping to coordinate rescue efforts in sagling – sharing any information he can get from his contacts in the city.

At least 1000 Muslims in the area are affected, who still need help, he estimates.

“I only feel relief every time someone on the ground wants help and I can help them.”