Over 400 tons of emergency supplies being distributed to Myanmar survivors

NEWS | 15 May 2008

Photos : Renzo Fricke, MSF | MSF staff unload cargo delivered by MSF-chartered planes in Yangon, Myanmar.

As of Wednesday 14 May 2008, four cargo planes have landed in Yangon, carrying a total of 140 tons of water and sanitation equipment, medical supplies, therapeutic food and plastic sheeting. A fifth plane is due to leave Jakarta on Friday.

Six international staff (one emergency coordinator and five water and sanitation specialists and logistician) arrived in Yangon today.

An MSF medical team traveled to the locality of Dedaye today in order to assess the situation. Dedaye is on the road between Bogaley and Kungyangon.

The monsoon has begun but has not badly affected the population nor hampered aid activities.

MSF is working in Pyanpon, Bogaley, Haingyi, Pyinsalu, Tongwa, Labutta, Thingangon and Chaungzu.

MSF teams have hired two bigger boats for use in Pathien, bringing the total number of boats used to transport aid in the Delta to ten. This is combined with the ten trucks we are using to bring aid from Yangon to Pathien. So far, MSF has managed to distribute 275 tonnes of aid since MSF teams began working in the Delta area.

Today four teams returned from outlying villages. They distributed aid to around 15,000 people, and distributed a total of 6,000 plastic sheets. Given that MSF has over 20 teams active in the Delta region, this gives an idea of the scale of the distribution effort.