Israel-based humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization SmartAID has deployed its international response team to areas of Myanmar and Thailand that were devastated by a deadly earthquake over the weekend.

The 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked the two countries on March 28, toppling buildings and destroying infrastructure. The quake’s epicenter struck just 16 kilometers (10 miles) northwest of Sagaing in Myanmar, with tremors reaching as far as Thailand’s capital of Bangkok.

The death toll currently stands at 1,644 dead in Myanmar and at least 11 in Thailand.

SmartAID has been operating in Myanmar for the past year, helping over three million locals who had been internally displaced due to the civil war in the country.

The NGO said at least six SmartAID team members are already operating in Myanmar’s cities of Mandalay, Naypyitaw and Sagaing, coordinating efforts with local governmental and non-governmental partners.

Their first task is procuring clean energy units, clean water purification systems and telecommunications equipment from local suppliers to establish the first immediate lifeline for affected communities and first responders.

“Leveraging our global logistic partners’ expertise helps facilitate the pickup and delivery of these critical resources to the capital, where our local team is preparing a warehouse to absorb the [equipment] and then distribute it to locations that will be determined in the next few days,” said the NGO in a press statement.

I can’t stand the thought of a child crying in the dark, cut off from help. That’s why we do whatever we can to get there within hours.

Shachar Zahavi, SmartAID

SmartAID is also deploying a search-and-rescue team to join its local first-responder partners to help survivors, while working on setting up a technological hub. “Our global office is working with our global corporate partners to prepare additional aid to be flown into the country,” according to the statement.

SmartAID Founding Director Shachar Zahavi said that the NGO’s mission “isn’t just about technology or rescue; it’s about giving people tools to survive.”

“I can’t stand the thought of a child crying in the dark, cut off from help. That’s why we do whatever we can to get there within hours. Those first hours are everything; when fear takes over, people need to know we are there for them. It’s personal for me, and it’s life or death for them.”

Meanwhile, Israel’s Foreign and Defense ministries are sending a 21-strong coordinated team of experts to Thailand to assist with the search-and-rescue efforts. The team is headed by Col. (Res.) Yossi Pinto, commander of the IDF’s reserve national search-and-rescue unit.

And humanitarian aid organization IsraAID reported that its emergency team “is currently assessing the situation in Myanmar and gearing up to respond. … If needed, IsraAID will deploy an initial emergency response team to the region in the coming days, focusing on water, sanitation & hygiene needs in affected communities.”