AS MYANMAR reels from death and destruction caused by a massive earthquake, India on Saturday mounted a multi-agency mission delivering 15 tonnes of essential materials and dispatching more aid by air and sea along with rescue teams to the neighbouring country. In a reflection of New Delhi’s strong commitment to extend help, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Myanmar’s Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and said India stands in solidarity with the people of that country. India has named its rescue mission for Myanmar as ‘Operation Brahma’. Hours after New Delhi delivered 15 tonnes of essential relief materials to Yangon in a military transport aircraft, another military plane landed in Myanmar’s capital Nay-Pyi-Taw carrying a group of rescue personnel. India became the first country to bring rescue personnel to the capital city to help local authorities, officials said.

 

“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,” the Prime Minister said on ‘X’ after his phone conversation with the senior military general. “Disaster relief material, humanitarian assistance, search & rescue teams are being expeditiously dispatched to the affected areas as part of #OperationBrahma,” he said. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said Indian naval ships INS Satpura and INS Savitri are carrying 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid and headed for the port of Yangon. In a social media post, Jaishankar also said that an 80- member strong search and rescue team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) departed for Myanmar’s capital Nay Pyi Taw.

 

They will assist the rescue operations in Myanmar, he added. India has deployed NDRF abroad on two previous occasions -- during the 2015 Nepal earthquake and the 2023 Turkiye quake. In the morning, India delivered 15 tonnes of relief materials to the Myanmarese city of Yangon after a C130J military aircraft of the Indian Air Force transported the consignments to the Myanmarese city. The supplies included tents, sleeping bags, blankets, readyto-eat meals, water purifiers, solar lamps, generator sets and essential medicines, officials said. Two more IAF aircraft are also carrying relief materials, according to officials. Sixty para-field ambulances are also being sent by air to Myanmar as part of Operation Brahma, they said. “#OperationBrahma gets underway. First tranche of humanitarian aid from India has reached the Yangon Airport in Myanmar,” Jaishankar posted on ‘X’ after India dispatched the first consignments of relief supplies. The relief materials were handed over to Chief Minister of Yangon U Soe Thein by Indian envoy to Myanmar Abhay Thakur.