Myanmar earthquake: India to send 80 NDRF personnel under 'Operation Brahma'
Myanmar earthquake: Myanmar's government said blood was in high demand in the hardest-hit areas. In a country where prior governments sometimes have been slow to accept foreign aid, Min Aung Hlaing said Myanmar was ready to accept outside assistance.
Myanmar earthquake updates: India has decided to deploy a contingent of 80 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for relief and rescue work in earthquake-hit Myanmar, official sources said on Saturday (March 29). The personnel of the federal disaster contingency force are being deployed under 'Operation Brahma' with quake rescue equipment to provide succour to the neighbouring country. "A team of 80 NDRF personnel are being sent to Myanmar. The team is expected to reach by Saturday evening," a source said, adding a Commandant rank officer will lead them.
Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand were rocked by a high-intensity earthquake on Friday (March 28), destroying buildings, bridges and other infrastructures. At least 1,002 people were reportedly killed in Myanmar. India has deployed NDRF abroad on two previous occasions- during the 2015 Nepal earthquake and the 2023 Turkiye quake.
About 15 tonnes of relief material was sent by India on Saturday to the Myanmarese city of Yangon on a C130J military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF). Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed concern over the devastating earthquake and said India stands ready to offer all possible assistance to the two countries. India shares a 1,643-km-long border with Myanmar on the eastern side.
Death count rises to over 1,000 in Myanmar
Myanmar's earthquake death count jumps to more than 1,000 as more bodies recovered from rubble The death toll from a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar jumped to more than 1,000 on Saturday as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of the scores of buildings that collapsed when it struck near the country's second-largest city. The country's military-led government said in a statement that 1,002 people have now been found dead and another 2,376 injured, with 30 others missing. The statement suggested the numbers could still rise, saying “detailed figures are still being collected.”
Myanmar is in the throes of a prolonged and bloody civil war, which is already responsible for a massive humanitarian crisis. It makes movement around the country both difficult and dangerous, complicating relief efforts and raising fears that the death toll could still rise precipitously. The earthquake struck midday Friday with an epicentre not far from Mandalay, followed by several aftershocks including one measuring a strong 6.4 magnitude. It sent buildings in many areas toppling to the ground, buckled roads, caused bridges to collapse and burst a dam.
In neighbouring Thailand, the quake rocked the greater Bangkok area, home to some 17 million people- many of whom live in high-rise buildings- and other parts of the country. Bangkok city authorities said so far six people have been found dead, 26 injured and 47 are still missing, most from a construction site near the capital's popular Chatuchak market. When the quake hit, the 33-story high-rise being built by a Chinese firm for the Thai government wobbled, then came crashing to the ground in a massive plume of dust that sent people screaming and fleeing from the scene. On Saturday, more heavy equipment was brought in to move the tons of rubble, but hope was fading among friends and family members of the missing that they would be found alive.