NDRF DG Piyush Anand pledges full support to Myanmar after devastating quake

IANS March 29, 2025 331 views

India has swiftly responded to Myanmar's earthquake crisis by deploying NDRF teams and relief supplies. DG Piyush Anand confirmed the force's readiness while coordinating from Kolkata. The 80-member team follows India's tradition of international disaster assistance seen in Nepal and Turkey. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar shared updates under #OperationBrahma as aftershocks continue.

"Our teams are ready...we will provide relief and save lives" - Piyush Anand, NDRF DG
Kolkata, March 29: Following the devastating earthquake in Myanmar in which over 1,000 people have been killed, India's National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been placed on high alert. To oversee the preparedness, IPS Piyush Anand, the Director General (DG) of NDRF, is currently in Kolkata. He affirmed that NDRF teams are ready to assist Myanmar in coping with the disaster.

Key Points

1

NDRF deploys 80-member rescue team to Myanmar

2

15 tonnes of relief material sent via IAF

3

PM Modi pledges full assistance

4

Earthquake death toll exceeds 1,000

Addressing the media, DG Piyush Anand stated, "We all know that there has been an earthquake of a very high magnitude in Myanmar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has immediately committed that India is ready to help."

He added, "From our side, material assistance has already been sent and there are other things which are yet to happen and preparations are going on for that."

"I will just say that our teams are ready, we will go from here and try to provide more help there, so that we can respond there and provide relief to them and save some lives. The NDRF vows to support Myanmar to help them deal with the earthquake's impact," Anand added.

"Look, we have activated our entire resources and sent a 80-member team. Whenever a team goes, whatever the government requests us to do, we do that. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already said that he is ready to help Myanmar to the fullest extent. Now it remains to be seen what the Myanmar government is requesting from us, we are ready to provide every possible help," he concluded.

Meanwhile, Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar posted photos of the NDRF team sent to Myanmar with the hashtag 'Operation Brahma', stating, "80-member strong @NDRFHQ search & rescue team departs for Nay Pyi Taw. They will assist in the rescue operations in Myanmar."

Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand experienced a high-intensity earthquake on Friday, resulting in the destruction of buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure. Reports indicate that more than 1,000 people have been killed in Myanmar and the number is expected to go up further as aftershocks continue to rock the region.

India had previously deployed NDRF teams abroad during the 2015 Nepal earthquake and the 2023 Turkey earthquake.

On Saturday, India sent approximately 15 tonnes of relief material to Yangon, Myanmar, via an Indian Air Force C130J military transport aircraft.

PM Modi expressed concern over the devastating earthquake on Friday, affirming that India stands ready to provide all possible assistance to both affected countries.

Comments:

Rahul K.

Proud of our NDRF teams! 🇮🇳 This is why India is called the first responder in our region. Hope they can save many lives.

Meena S.

DG Anand's leadership gives me confidence. But I worry about our teams' safety - Myanmar has political instability too. Stay safe heroes!

Arjun T.

15 tonnes is good but we should send more medical supplies. Remember how Nepal needed blood banks in 2015?

Priya M.

Operation Brahma is such a powerful name for this mission. Jaishankar sir always knows how to communicate these efforts effectively 👏

Vikram J.

While I support helping neighbors, I hope we're equally prepared for disasters at home. Our urban infrastructure needs disaster-proofing too.

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