ACS sends aid flights to quake-hit Myanmar

Dhaka :  Air Charter Service (ACS) has arranged several charter flights carrying aid to Myanmar and Thailand following last week’s devasting earthquake.

The charter firm said it had delivered aid to Yangon in Myanmar and Bangkok in Thailand following the quake, which measured 7.7 on the Richter scale.

The epicentre was less than 20 miles from Myanmar’s second-largest city, Mandalay, resulting in the closure of the airport and making aid operations more complex.

Ben Dinsdale, ACS director for government and humanitarian Services, said: “With Mandalay’s main airport currently unavailable, and many of the local airports in the country unable to accept large aircraft, we have been having to use Yangon to fly the bulk of the aid in, with the possibility of ferrying into regional airports on smaller aircraft, or by road, from there.

“Over the weekend we chartered two aircraft into Yangon carrying more than 40 tons of aid, with another landing in Bangkok on Monday with almost 30 tons of medical supplies from the Middle East We have several more scheduled into Myanmar over the next few days and our offices around the world are continuing to receive calls with requests to get aid to the affected areas.” 

He added: “Our thoughts go out to all those impacted by this terrible disaster, and we will continue to work around the clock to support the aid agencies involved in the relief operation.”

At the time of publication, more than 2,700 people were thought to have lost their lives as a result of the earthquake in Myanmar, while many more are still missing.

In Thailand, more than 20 people are known to have died and 70 are reported as still being trapped.

The earthquake caused damage as far away as south west China and Thailand.

-B