In a heartening display of courage, nurses at a maternity center in Ruili City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, rushed to protect newborn babies as a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck neighboring Myanmar on Thursday. The tremors, felt across the border region, sent shockwaves through healthcare facilities in Yunnan.
Witnesses described nurses swiftly gathering infants into their arms, using their bodies as shields against potential falling debris. “Their first instinct was to protect every child,” said a hospital administrator, noting all newborns were safely evacuated within minutes.
The quake’s epicenter was located near Myanmar’s northern border with the Chinese mainland, highlighting the interconnected risks faced by communities in seismically active regions. While there were no immediate reports of major infrastructure damage in Yunnan, the swift response underscored the preparedness of border healthcare workers.
This incident comes as China intensifies cross-border disaster coordination mechanisms with Southeast Asian nations. Ruili City, a key trade hub bordering Myanmar, has frequently served as a testing ground for regional emergency response protocols.
