After quake, Karenni State residents still endangered by ongoing airstrikes

When the earthquake that shook central Myanmar last Friday hit Karenni State, some civilians initially thought it was just another bombing raid.

A woman who was staying in Bawlakhe Township in the affected area said she ran to a nearby bomb shelter with other civilians before she realised what she had felt was not an airstrike. 

The mistake was potentially deadly. The same homebuilt, underground shelters where people of Karenni State routinely take cover during air raids could have collapsed and crushed the occupants during a quake.