A woman was rescued from the debris of a hotel in Myanmar, officials confirmed on Monday, offering a glimmer of hope amid the devastation caused by a powerful earthquake that struck three days earlier. The 7.7-magnitude quake, which hit on Friday, has claimed around 2,000 lives, as rescue teams in Myanmar and Thailand race against time to find more survivors.

The woman was found beneath the wreckage of the Great Wall Hotel in Mandalay, according to a statement from the Chinese government on Facebook. Mandalay is located near the epicenter of the earthquake, which inflicted widespread destruction across Myanmar and caused structural damage in neighboring Thailand.

In Bangkok, emergency teams continued a desperate search on Monday for 76 people believed to be trapped under the ruins of an under-construction skyscraper that collapsed during the quake. With nearly three days elapsed, concerns are growing that more bodies will be discovered, potentially increasing Thailand's current death toll of 18.

State media in Myanmar reported that at least 1,700 people have been confirmed dead, while The Wall Street Journal cited a figure of 2,028 casualties. However, Reuters has yet to verify the updated death toll.

The Chinese embassy in Myanmar shared on Facebook that a rescue team pulled the woman from the rubble of the Great Wall Hotel nearly 60 hours after the earthquake. She is reported to be in stable condition. Meanwhile, the United Nations has been working to deliver aid to approximately 23,000 survivors affected by the disaster in central Myanmar.

“Our teams in Mandalay are joining efforts to expand the humanitarian response, even as they cope with the trauma themselves,” said Noriko Takagi, UN refugee agency representative in Myanmar. “Time is of the essence, and Myanmar urgently needs global support to overcome this immense crisis.”

Several countries, including India, China, and Thailand, have dispatched aid and relief teams to Myanmar. Additionally, Malaysia, Singapore, and Russia have provided humanitarian assistance. The United States has pledged $2 million in aid through Myanmar-based relief organizations. USAID has also deployed an emergency response team, despite significant budget cuts under the Trump administration.

The catastrophe has exacerbated Myanmar’s existing turmoil, as the country remains gripped by conflict following the military coup in 2021 that removed the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Rebel groups have accused the military of continuing airstrikes on villages even after the earthquake, prompting Singapore’s foreign minister to call for an immediate ceasefire to facilitate relief efforts.

Critical infrastructure, including bridges, highways, airports, and railways, has sustained significant damage, further hindering humanitarian operations. The ongoing conflict has already displaced over 3.5 million people and weakened the country’s healthcare system, compounding the challenges faced in the wake of this devastating earthquake.