INS Ghariyal departs for quake-hit Myanmar with 442 MT of food aid

Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], April 1 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that Indian Naval Ship INS Ghariyal departed from Vishakhapatnam with 442 metric tonnes of essential food items for earthquake-hit Myanmar.

Jaishankar also said that the Indian Army field hospital unit has been operationalised in Mandalay.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said, “Operation Brahma- Indian Navy ship INS Ghariyal departs from Vishakhapatnam with 442 metric tonnes of essential food items.”

“Operation Brahma- The Indian Army field hospital unit has been operationalized in Mandalay,” he added.

The Indian Air Force, too, departed earlier in the day from Delhi carrying 16 tonnes of essential humanitarian aid, Jaishankar said.

“Operation Brahma- Indian Air Force C-130J departs for Mandalay from Delhi this morning carrying 16 tonnes of essential humanitarian aid, rice and essential food items.”

As part of Indian Army’s ongoing humanitarian assistance under Operation Brahma, the Field Hospital, comprising 118 personnel, has been successfully established in Mandalay. The hospital was deployed using two Indian Air Force C-17 heavy-lift aircraft and is now fully operational with a 200-bed capacity, offering surgical and in-patient care, MEA stated.

This morning, Myo Aung, the Chief Minister of Mandalay, visited the facility and reviewed its capabilities. The Field Hospital is fully prepared and equipped to provide critical medical care to those in need, reinforcing India’s steadfast commitment to humanitarian relief efforts in the region.

In Bangkok, Thailand, people offered help to victims and the needy by distributing food & relief materials after the city was hit by an earthquake. Search and rescue works are underway in front of JJ Mall Chatuchak, Bangkok, where an under-construction building collapsed after the earthquake.

A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit Myanmar on Friday has now killed more than 2,000 people, according to the country’s military junta, with more than 3,900 left injured. Tremors from the quake were also felt in neighbouring Thailand. Rescue efforts are still underway, with those still missing thought unlikely to be alive, CNN reported.