Rescue work continues in central Myanmar after a 7.7-magnitude quake hit Friday and apparently destroyed a Mandaly monastery where more than 180 monks were taking a final advanced Buddhist exam. Families are scattered in a state of distress after examination hall fall.
As of Sunday, 13 bodies have been recovered by the authorities, and 21 people have been rescued alive. However, an unrevealed number of monks are tied down below the concrete carcasses of the U Hla Thein monastery. The rescue operation is complicated by the unstable structures of which the building consists, and which at the very least govern so-often-crumbling [running through it are large cracks in the still standing parts of the building, and at any instant menacing/resposing to the safety of rescuurs and other on lookers.
Survivors recall the 12:50 p.m. local time shuddering moment when the tremors struck and the multi-storey building collapsed immediately. Photos taken days before the disaster reveal monks quietly seated at their desks, oblivious to the disaster that was to occur. 
Family members, monks, and rescuers continue to stand in wait for a miracle at the site. Farmer Kyaw Swe, whose son has been a monk for 31 years, is both sad and believing: “If it is his time, can I change his fate?”
Rescue crew keep up their desperate search, giving thanks for any more survivors. As Myanmar considers its painful recovery, the disaster highlights the nation’s ability to survive despite calamity.
