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India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has launched extensive rescue operations under Operation Brahma at Myanmar’s U Hla Thein Monastery, where approximately 170 monks remain trapped. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed the mission on Monday, emphasizing ongoing efforts to evacuate those stranded.
Medical and Relief Efforts Underway
In addition to the monastery rescue, an Indian Army team is set to visit the hospital site on Monday, with plans to establish medical services by Tuesday. The NDRF is also working to deploy additional personnel at Sky Villa, where four 11-story towers have collapsed, leaving many, including foreign nationals, trapped under the debris.
Meanwhile, relief materials are expected to arrive shortly, with provisions set to be handed over to the Secretary General of the State Mahanayak Committee—the second-highest authority in Myanmar’s monastic community. Around 2,000 monks who are currently displaced and without basic amenities are expected to receive assistance.
Widespread Destruction Across Myanmar
Rescue teams are also being dispatched to key locations, including Mandalay Palace, Maha Muni Pagoda, and the Myanmar Institute of Information Technology (MIIT), all of which have sustained significant damage. Aid efforts have also extended to members of the Indian community in Myanmar, ensuring shelter and food provisions amid the crisis.
The devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar has resulted in massive destruction, killing at least 1,700 people and injuring approximately 3,400 more, according to Myanmar’s military government. Nearly 300 individuals remain unaccounted for, while the United States Geological Survey (USGS) warns that the final death toll could surpass 10,000 based on initial projections, as reported by CNN.
Myanmar’s Strongest Quake in Over a Century
The earthquake’s epicenter was in Myanmar’s central Sagaing region, near the historic city of Mandalay, home to over 1.5 million people. The quake caused widespread structural damage, collapsing buildings, bridges, and centuries-old temples.
The tremors were felt as far as Bangkok and certain Chinese provinces. In Bangkok alone, 18 people lost their lives after a high-rise building, still under construction, crumbled within minutes, trapping dozens underneath. Eleven bodies have been recovered from the site so far.
This earthquake marks Myanmar’s most powerful seismic event in over a century. The 7.7-magnitude quake was followed by intense aftershocks, including a 6.7-magnitude tremor that continued to shake the region throughout the weekend.
(With Inputs from ANI)
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