Operation Brahma: India to deploy NDRF personnel, health workers to earthquake-hit Myanmar
Mail This Article
New Delhi: India has launched Operation Brahma to provide rescue and relief assistance to earthquake-hit Myanmar. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson told the media on Saturday that relief materials and humanitarian aid had been sent to disaster-affected areas in Myanmar. He added that a field hospital with 118 personnel from Agra would soon be deployed to the neighbouring country.
The central government has already dispatched two Navy ships carrying 15 tonnes of relief materials to Myanmar.
The death toll from Friday’s earthquake in Myanmar surpassed 1,000 on Saturday. However, the MEA spokesperson confirmed that no casualties have been reported among the Indian community in the country so far.
Under Operation Brahma, personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are being deployed with earthquake rescue equipment such as high-powered concrete cutters, drill machines, hammers, and plasma-cutting tools to aid Myanmar in relief efforts.
“A team of 80 NDRF personnel is being sent to Myanmar aboard two Indian Air Force (IAF) sorties from Hindon in Ghaziabad. Both teams are expected to reach Nay Pyi Taw by Saturday evening,” an official told PTI.
Commandant PK Tiwary of the 8th NDRF battalion, based in Ghaziabad near Delhi, is leading the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team.
NDRF Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Mohsen Shahedi stated during an MEA press conference that the next 24-48 hours would be "very crucial" for the force’s active involvement in rescue operations.
A third NDRF team has been placed on standby in Kolkata and could be airlifted to Myanmar if needed.
The two NDRF teams reaching Myanmar will also take four rescue dogs for collapsed structure search-and-rescue operations, adhering to International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) norms, officials said.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar’s military-led government, and expressed India’s solidarity in dealing with the devastation caused by the massive earthquake.