Operation Brahma: With rescue team, medical help, India intensifies mega aid plan for earthquake-hit Myanmar

The massive earthquake that devastated Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand killed over 1,600 people and caused widespread destruction.

Two C-17 aircraft carrying a 118-member Indian Army Field Hospital Unit, along with 60 tonnes of relief material, have landed in Myanmar as part of India's Operation Brahma after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck the country on Friday.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, shared details about the operation, stating that the unit also includes Women and Child Care services.

India's swift response to the disaster underscores its commitment to being a first responder in regional crises. India continues to take the lead in providing aid in times of crisis, both within its neighborhood and beyond.

In a post on X, Randhir Jaiswal wrote, "#OperationBrahma continues. Two C-17 aircraft with 118 members of the Indian Army Field Hospital Unit, including Women & Child Care services and 60 tonnes of relief material, have landed in Myanmar. With these, five relief flights have landed in Myanmar today."

Additionally, a second C-130 aircraft landed in Naypyitaw with the remaining 38 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 10 tonnes of relief material.

Further, the MEA added that two C-17 aircraft carrying 60 Para Field Ambulances would land shortly.

As part of the operation, the Indian Army will establish a 60-bed Medical Treatment Centre to provide immediate care to those injured in the calamity, the Indian Army stated.

The facility will be capable of handling trauma cases, emergency surgeries, and essential medical services to support the local healthcare system, which has been severely strained by the disaster, it added.

Earlier in the day, India dispatched the first tranche of urgent humanitarian aid for the people of Myanmar from the Hindon Air Force Station.

The death toll from the magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Myanmar has jumped to 694, and 1670 people have been injured, the country's military junta said on Saturday, CNN reported. The figures were only for the Mandalay region in the center of the country and near the epicenter of the earthquake.

Myanmar's military junta said 68 people were missing in the Mandalay region. The death toll from the earthquake that struck central Myanmar could exceed 10,000, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimated according to their early modeling on Friday.