Israel to deploy search, rescue team to Thailand following deadly earthquake Photo

Israel has announced plans to send a delegation of experts to Thailand to support search and rescue efforts following a devastating earthquake in the region.

The delegation, consisting of 22 members, is expected to depart on a flight from Tel Aviv on March 29 night at 10:30 p.m., Caliber.Az reports per Israeli media.

The team, led by Col. (res.) Yossi Pinto, commander of the IDF’s reserve national search-and-rescue unit, is coordinated by the Israeli Foreign and Defence Ministries.

The delegation's primary role will be to assist in “building an intelligence picture” to enhance rescue operations and engineering efforts at disaster sites. The team is tasked with locating and rescuing survivors from collapsed structures in the aftermath of the earthquake, which has claimed over 1,600 lives.

The earthquake, which struck the region on March 28 afternoon, measured 7.7 in magnitude, followed by a 6.7 aftershock. The tremor devastated large swathes of Myanmar and Thailand, causing widespread destruction, including collapsed buildings, downed bridges, and ruined roads. Among the hardest-hit areas was Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, where significant casualties have been reported.

At least 1,644 fatalities have been confirmed in Myanmar, with more than 3,400 individuals injured, and 139 are still missing, according to the ruling junta. Casualties are also rising in Thailand, with reports indicating ten confirmed deaths in Bangkok. The death toll is expected to climb as rescue operations continue.

In Mandalay, rescuers managed to pull a woman to safety after hours of painstaking work, though many remain trapped under the rubble. The scene at the Sky Villa Condominium was particularly harrowing, as half of the building’s 12 floors were obliterated by the quake.

As recovery efforts continue, aid agencies have expressed concerns over Myanmar's preparedness for a disaster of such scale, given the country’s ongoing civil conflict. Around 3.5 million people had already been displaced by the fighting, many facing severe hunger and other challenges before the earthquake struck.

The government in Myanmar, traditionally resistant to foreign aid, has made an unprecedented appeal for international assistance, acknowledging the catastrophic extent of the disaster. Offers of help have poured in, including a pledge of support from the United States, with President Donald Trump offering aid to the affected countries.

By Aghakazim Guliyev