Two Indian naval ships en route to Myanmar; field hospital set to be airlifted

India has intensified its relief efforts under lsquoOperation Brahmarsquo to assist earthquakehit Myanmar dispatching two naval ships with two more to follow and preparing to airlift a field hospital later on Saturday news agency PTI reportedMinistry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that humanitarian personnel and material are being sent via aircraft while a 118member field hospital team will depart from AgraIndiarsquos Ambassador in Myanmar is coordinating relief efforts in Nay Pyi Taw and no casualties have been reported among the Indian community so far PTI reported Reaffirming Indiarsquos role as a ldquofirst responderrdquo in disaster situations Jaiswal recalled Indias assistance following Cyclone Yagi last yearindiannavy ships INS Satpura amp INS Savitri are carrying 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid and headed for the port of Yangon External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar wrote on XCasualties in Myanmar earthquake soar to 1002Brahma is the God of creation At a time when we are extending a helping hand to the Government of Myanmar to the people of Myanmar to rebuild their country in the wake of the devastation this particular name of the operation has a special resonance a special meaning Jaiswal informed reported PTIThe first aircraft carrying 15 tonnes of relief material took off at around 3 am this morning from Hindon Air Force base It reached Yangon at around 8 am India time The Indian Ambassador was there to receive the relief material and thereafter he handed it over to the chief minister of Yangon Jaiswal statedThese material include tents blankets essential medicines tarpaulins sleeping bags gensets solar lamps food packets and kitchen setsTwo aircraft with search and rescue personnel and equipment along with canines one of them have left I understand and the other is in process of leaving for Nay Pyi Taw Concisely there are 80 NDRF search and rescue team personnel specialists along with equipment and a canine squad is also part of this team Jaiswal further addedAccording to the MEA the teams are expected to arrive in Nay Pyi Taw by Saturday evening reported PTIThe third phase of assistance includes a 118member field hospital team consisting of specialists doctors and medics MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated during a Saturday evening briefing that the team is preparing to depart from Agra later in the dayThey will be landing in Nay Pyi Taw and from there they will be taken to Mandalay area with the support and coordination of the Government of Myanmar Jaiswal statedMyanmar and neighbouring Thailand were rocked by a highintensity earthquake on Friday destroying buildings bridges and other structures Around 1002 people were killed in Myanmar according to PTIMyanmar earthquake Indian Navy in touch with Myanmarese counterpart says MEAIndia shares a 1643kilometrelong border with Myanmar on the eastern sideSoon after the tragedy struck Myanmar our PM conveyed his concerns and expressed that India was ready to provide all support all possible support to Myanmar to the people of Myanmar and the Government of Myanmar in this hour of crisis Jaiswal statedToday Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and conveyed deepest condolences on behalf of the people and the Government of India for the loss of lives he saidHe also conveyed We stand in solidarity with the government and the people of Myanmar and that we would do our best to provide relief rescue and whatever assistance required to deal with this calamityThe MEA spokesperson further said Our ambassador is currently in Nay Pyi Taw and our team from the embassy in Yangon in Nay Pyi Taw to coordinate forward movement of the personnel travelling from IndiaOn the movement of the four naval ships Jaiswal informed that the Indian Navy is in touch with their Myanmarese counterpart for smooth operationOur embassy is very active They are in touch with Indian community organisations So far no casualty has been reported among the Indian nationals and we are in touch with Indian community organisations for their welfare and safety stated Jaiswal adding there is a large Indian diaspora in MyanmarAccording to PTI Commandant PK Tiwary of the 8th NDRF battalion based in Ghaziabad near Delhi is leading the Urban Search and Rescue USAR teamAs per PTI NDRF Deputy Inspector General Operations Mohsen Shahedi during a press conference organised by the External Affairs Ministry emphasised that the next 2448 hours were critical for the force to be effectively deployed and actively involved on the groundWith PTI inputs