Operation Sadbhav: India sends urgent aid to Myanmar, Laos & Vietnam after Typhoon Yagi

India on Sunday sent urgent relief materials to Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam under an operation christened ’Sadbhav’ to assist them in dealing with the impact of a major typhoon.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said 10 tonnes of aid including dry ration, clothing and medicines were dispatched to Myanmar onboard Indian naval ship INS Satpura. A military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force is carrying 35 tonnes of aid to Vietnam and 10 tonnes of relief materials to Laos.

”India launches #OperationSadbhav. Demonstrating our solidarity with the people affected by Typhoon Yagi, India is dispatching aid to Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos,” Jaishankar said on ’X’. ”10 tons of aid including dry ration, clothing and medicines left for Myanmar onboard @indiannavy INS Satpura today,” he said.

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India launches #OperationSadbhav.

Demonstrating our solidarity with the people affected by Typhoon Yagi, India is dispatching aid to Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos.

➡️ 10 tons of aid including dry ration, clothing and medicines left for 🇲🇲 onboard @indiannavy INS Satpura today.… pic.twitter.com/ooR0ipnxqI

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 15, 2024

Jaishankar added: ”@IAF_MCC is carrying 35 tons of aid comprising of water purification items, water containers, blankets, kitchen utensils, solar lanterns for Vietnam.” ”10 tons of aid comprising genset, water purification items, hygiene supplies, mosquito nets, blankets and sleeping bags for Laos,” he said.

The death toll in Myanmar from flooding and landslides caused by Typhoon Yagi has reached at least 74, with 89 people missing, Myanmar’s state television said Saturday.

“A consignment of 35 tons of humanitarian assistance, including water purification items, water containers, blankets, kitchen utensils, and solar lanterns, among others, was airlifted to Vietnam today by a special aircraft,” the MEA said in a statement.

It said the humanitarian support to Vietnam is “testament to the enduring close ties between the two countries, marked by our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi had conveyed sympathies and solidarity to the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Pham Minh Chinh, immediately after the typhoon struck Vietnam,” the MEA said.

It said Jaishankar had also extended sympathies to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Vietnam Bui Thanh Son.

The floods and landslides have caused widespread damage to property and agricultural land, affecting around 40,000 people in northern Laos, the MEA said.

“Ten tonnes of humanitarian relief supply has been sent to the government of Lao PDR. The supply in the form of hygiene kits, blankets, mosquito nets and repellents, sleeping bags, gensets, water purifiers, water purification tablets and disinfectants and other material has been airlifted today on-board a special aircraft from India,” it said.

The Indian Navy said it has commenced rapid preparations to deploy HADR operations in response to the devastating flash floods in Myanmar.

The Eastern Naval Command, in coordination with the Eastern Fleet and other supporting units, successfully completed the overnight loading of HADR pallets, including drinking water, ration and medicines, onto an Indian naval warship from Visakhapatnam for operations in Yangon, it said.

“This rapid mobilisation comes despite a short notice, showcasing the Navy’s ability to swiftly respond to humanitarian crises in the region,” Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said.

Myanmar experiences extreme weather virtually every year during the monsoon season. In 2008, Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 people. In that case, the military government then in power delayed accepting international assistance, and when it finally relented, tightly controlled its distribution, with little or no oversight by aid donors.

While in Vietnam, the death toll in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi climbed to 233 on Friday as rescue workers recovered more bodies from areas hit by landslides and flash floods, state media reported.

Flood waters from the swollen Red River in the capital of Hanoi were beginning to recede, but many neighborhoods remained inundated and farther north, experts were predicting it could still be days before any relief is in sight.

Typhoon Yagi made landfall Saturday, setting off heavy rains that have triggered flash floods and landslides, particularly in Vietnam’s mountainous north. Across the country, 103 people are still missing and more than 800 have been injured.

With inputs from agencies.