In Myanmar, the death toll in last week’s devastating earthquake has crossed 2,700. Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing in a televised address today said, the death toll has reached 2,719 in the powerful earthquake and is expected to rise to more than three thousand.
He said 4,521 people were injured, and 441 were missing.
A massive 7.7-magnitude earthquake, followed by a 6.4-magnitude aftershock minutes later, struck the country’s Mandalay region on Friday, causing massive casualties and damage in multiple countries. Strong tremors were also felt in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and southwest China.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the death toll in Myanmar includes 50 children and two teachers who lost their lives when their preschool collapsed in the Mandalay area.
Meanwhile, rescue operations are underway in Myanmar in full swing. Under Operation Brahma, India has swiftly mobilized emergency assistance, a team of rescue and medical professionals, and relief materials, including food, water, tents, medicines, and essential supplies to assist Myanmar and its people from the 29th of March.
The Indian Navy, with multiple ships, delivered critical aid to Yangon. In a social media post, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said that under Operation Brahma, an Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft departed for Mandalay from Delhi this morning, carrying 16 tonnes of essential humanitarian aid, rice and essential food items. He said a ship of the Indian Navy INS Ghariyal, left from Vishakhapatnam with 442 metric tonnes of essential food items. Dr Jaishankar informed that the Indian Army field hospital unit has been operationalized in Mandalay.
INS Satpura and INS Savitri arrived yesterday carrying 40 tons of relief supplies.
Complementing naval efforts, the Indian Army has established a state-of-the-art 200-bed field hospital in Mandalay as part of Operation Brahma. Deployed through two Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft, the medical facility with 118 personnel is already operational and providing surgical care to survivors. Mandalay Chief Minister Myo Aung inspected the hospital earlier in the day, acknowledging its critical role in the relief efforts.
In neighbouring Thailand, 20 people are confirmed dead in the massive earthquake as rescuers pressed on searching for life in the rubble of a collapsed skyscraper in the capital, Bangkok.