Cyclone Mocha: Indian Navy ships rush relief material to battered Myanmar, many feared dead

Indian Navy, a regional power in the Bay of Bengal and northern Indian Ocean has rushed humanitarian aid to Myanmar, parts of which have seen devastation due to Cyclone Mocha. India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar took to Twitter on Thursday (May 18) to highlight the fact that India 'continues to be first responder in the region'.

"India extends a hand of friendship to the people of Myanmar affected by #CycloneMocha. #OperationKaruna underway. Three Indian Navy ships carrying relief material reached Yangon today. A fourth ship will be reaching tomorrow. The ships are carrying emergency food items, tents, essential medicines, water pumps, portable generators, clothes, sanitary and hygiene items, etc.," tweeted Jaishankar.

Hundreds feared dead

It is feared that devastation caused by Cyclone Mocha has left hundreds dead. The cyclone struck Myanmar over the weekend. Rescue efforts have been hampered due to damaged infrastructure. Rakhine state, the impoverished part of the country, bore the brunt of Cyclone Mocha. When it hit, the cyclone caused winds of up to 210 kmph (130 mph). These ripped roofs off homes and caused storm surge that caused flooding in Sittwe, capital of the state.

Watch | United Nations: Cyclone Mocha caused extensive damage in Myanmar

Rakhine region has a large population of Rohingya Muslims, a persecuted minority several successive Myanmar governments have refused to recognise.

Political chaos in the country

Myanmar has been gripped by political and economic chaos since the military seized power in a coup in 2021. Since then, fighting has raged across the country between the military and pro-democracy or allied ethnic armed groups.

Residents of Rakhine State said at least 100 people had been killed and many more were missing and feared dead after the cyclone, adding that aid is yet to arrive. Bangladesh faced its worst power cuts in over seven months.

Reuters said it was not able to independently verify the death toll. It quoted news portal Myanmar Now which reported that hundreds were dead while aid groups said there were "significant number of deaths".

Myanmar's state media said three people were killed.

The storm was one of the worst since Cyclone Nargis swept across parts of southern Myanmar killing nearly 140,000 people in 2008.

Millions affected by storm

Reuters quoted a United Nations official who said that 5.4 million people were expected to have been in the storm's path.

"It's really a nightmare scenario for the cyclone to hit areas with such deep pre-existing needs," said Ramanathan Balakrishnan at the UN's Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Shelter, water, sanitation, and relief items were early priorities, he said.

Storm damage to communications and road infrastructure and ongoing restrictions by Myanmar's military government was making it difficult to get information from and deliver aid to the affected area, non-governmental organisations said.

"It's difficult to obtain accurate or up to date information, which also makes responding to the crisis adequately even more difficult," said Manny Maung of Human Rights Watch.

(With inputs from agencies)

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