India navy delivers aid to quake-hit Myanmar

India delivered 442 tonnes of food aid to Myanmar on Saturday, becoming one of the first nations to respond to the deadly 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck the conflict-torn country on March 28, killing over 3,300 people.

The consignment — including rice, oil, noodles, and biscuits — was transported by the Indian Navy’s INS Gharial to Thilawa port, just days after Myanmar’s junta issued a rare international appeal for help.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who met Myanmar’s military ruler Min Aung Hlaing on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok on Friday, reaffirmed India’s commitment to assist “our sisters and brothers of Myanmar in this critical time.”

In the closed-door meeting, Modi also stressed the “importance of early restoration of a democratic process through inclusive and credible elections,” according to India’s foreign ministry.

Myanmar has been under military rule since a 2021 coup that overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government, triggering a civil conflict.

The junta’s appeal for aid marks a shift from past military regimes, which have typically rejected foreign assistance — even during humanitarian disasters.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has pledged over $1 million in aid and sent a medical team along with supplies funded by Buddhist temple donations.

Survivors of the quake continue to face severe shortages of food and shelter more than a week after the disaster, with ongoing calls for more international support.