Myanmar Earthquake: Narendra Modi speaks with senior general, expresses solidarity
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday spoke with Myanmar's senior general Min Aung Hlaing and reaffirmed India’s steadfast commitment as a 'close friend and neighbour' and expressed solidarity with earthquake-hit Myanmar.
In response to this calamity, the Government of India has launched Operation Brahma, an initiative to provide immediate relief and assistance to the affected regions.
Modi wrote on X: "Spoke with Senior General H.E. Min Aung Hlaing of Myanmar. Conveyed our deep condolences at the loss of lives in the devastating earthquake. As a close friend and neighbour, India stands in solidarity with the people of Myanmar in this difficult hour.'
"Disaster relief material, humanitarian assistance, search & rescue teams are being expeditiously dispatched to the affected areas as part of #OperationBrahma," he said.
Operation Brahma
The Indian government on Saturday said it sent around 15 tonnes of relief material to Myanmar, a nation rattled by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake that left over 150 people dead and scores of others injured.
Sharing details about the 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.
Some media reports claimed the death toll has crossed 1,000.
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.
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