Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today pledged RM10 million to aid Myanmar after a devastating earthquake there.
“As a manifestation of Malaysia’s responsibility and solidarity as the Asean 2025 chair, I have directed the foreign minister (Mohamad Hasan) to lead a humanitarian mission to Myanmar next week.
“This visit aims to express Malaysia’s strong support for the ongoing search and rescue operations, including by the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) team, which began its assignment on the ground today,” he said in a statement.
According to Al Jazeera, the death toll in Myanmar following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake on Friday (March 28) has risen to 1,644.
The area was hit by a 6.4 magnitude aftershock minutes later.
The earthquake hit Mandalay, the second-largest city in Myanmar, at a depth of 10km.
Tremors from both quakes were felt as far away as Chiang Mai and Bangkok in Thailand, as well as Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam.
A Bernama report stated that 17 were confirmed dead in Bangkok, while another 32 people were injured, and at least 70 were missing in the Thai capital.
In Anwar’s statement, he went on to say that Malaysia will continue to work closely with other Asean members to coordinate assistance for Myanmar.
“Asean’s priority in safeguarding the well-being of the people of the region must be translated into swift, effective, and comprehensive action,” he said.
Yesterday, Anwar, along with Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, expressed Malaysia’s condolences to the victims of the earthquake.
This morning, 50 members of Malaysia’s Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart) departed to aid Myanmar in search and rescue operations. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.