India on Saturday said it had sent around 15 tonnes of relief material to Myanmar, a nation rattled by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that left over 150 people dead and scores of others injured.
Sharing details about India’s earthquake relief to be sent to Myanmar, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote on X: “Operation Brahma – India acts as a First Responder to assist the people of Myanmar affected by yesterday’s massive earthquake. ”
“Our first tranche of 15 tonnes of relief material, including tents, blankets, sleeping bags, food packets, hygiene kits, generators, and essential medicines, has landed in Yangon,” Jaiswal shared.
Myanmar, Thailand Jolted
Over 150 people were killed and hundreds injured after six earthquakes, including one with a 7.7 magnitude, hit near Sagaing in central Myanmar at 12.50 pm (local time) Friday, state-run broadcaster MRTV said.
The toll includes casualties from a hospital in the capital, Naypyidaw, which is likely to become a “mass casualty area”, doctors there told news agency AFP.
Several buildings, including a mosque in Mandalay, collapsed while people were praying inside it, and a university building in the same city caught fire as a result of the massive earthquakes.
Warning that the toll might go up, Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has declared an ’emergency’ and appealed for aid.
He asked for help from “any country and any organisation” willing to step forward.
Tremors were felt as far away as northern Thailand, where some metro and rail services were suspended in the capital.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra broke off an official visit to Phuket to hold an urgent review meeting, after which she, too, declared a state of ’emergency’ in the city.
As per the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the epicentre of the quake was located in Sagaing region in Myanmar.
Apart from Thailand, strong tremors were also felt in China.
The quake hit at a depth of 10 km.
The tremors of the quake were felt across Myanmar in regions like Mandalay, Kyaukse, Pyin Oo Lwin, and Shwebo.
UN Teams Responding Fast
Amid reports of hundreds dead or missing following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake with its epicentre in central Myanmar, UN teams in the region are “responding fast”, said UN relief chief Tom Fletcher on Friday.
The Emergency Relief Coordinator tweeted that UN teams are being “supported by expertise across our global network”.
News reports quoting sources in the Burmese city of Mandalay, close to the epicentre of the quake, indicate that hundreds have died. In neighbouring Thailand more than 80 construction workers are missing, according to the Thai deputy prime minister, with a search and rescue operation underway.
UN Chief Condoles
UN chief António Guterres sent condolences to all those in the region impacted and underlined that the UN system is mobilising as fast as possible in support.
Fletcher, who heads the aid coordination office, OCHA, made an initial allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund of $5 million to support life-saving assistance.
The UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Myanmar told UN News in a statement that reports indicate “significant damage” has occurred in Mandalay state, as well as Nay Pyi Taw, Bago, Magway, Sagaing, Shan, and “possibly other areas.”
“Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this event…We are gathering information about the people impacted, infrastructure damage, and immediate humanitarian needs to guide a response and will share more updates as information becomes available.”
Sheela Matthew of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said the quake had hit Myanmar “at the worst possible time. With one in four in the country already facing acute food insecurity, Myanmar just can’t afford another disaster.”
She said WFP has stocks of ready-to-eat food available in warehouses, and “we are ready to respond as needed.”
Speaking from Myanmar’s largest city of Yangon, Marie Manrique, Programme Coordinator for the Myanmar country team of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), told journalists at the UN in Geneva that the quake had also been felt in China, Thailand, and India.
She said that beyond damage to buildings and infrastructure, there was concern over potential dam bursts. Electricity and communications have been cut off in parts of the country.
She said the Myanmar Red Cross Society had launched an emergency operation to help people in need and assess the situation.
Myanmar Civil War
Myanmar has been in the grip of an increasingly brutal civil war since a military coup more than four years ago. Around 20 million people – a third of the population are expected to need humanitarian assistance this year. Around 15 million are projected to face acute food insecurity in 2025.
Fighting between junta forces and opposition armed groups has displaced more than 3.5 million people within the country.
(With inputs from IBNS)
