India expands humanitarian assistance in cyclone-hit Sri Lanka

Colombo: India has continued its humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu, with extensive air, sea and ground operations delivering urgent relief to those affected by Cyclone Ditwah, the Indian High Commission said on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka has been grappling with widespread flooding, landslides and severe infrastructure collapse, leaving several districts isolated and severely straining the country’s disaster-response capacity.

At least 479 people have been killed and 350 missing as of Wednesday evening due to catastrophic floods and landslides caused by extreme weather conditions since November 16.

The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said at least 1,614,790 people and 455,405 families have been affected by the disaster.

“Indian rescue teams continued large-scale life-saving evacuations across multiple districts, bringing vulnerable residents from remote and inaccessible areas to safety,” the Indian High Commission said.

In Puttalam, NDRF personnel rescued individuals in distress – including expectant mothers, those requiring immediate medical attention – and delivered essential supplies to nearly 800 stranded people through difficult, door-to-door operations, it said.

“Across the central region, Indian Air Force helicopters carried out critical missions, air-dropping more than 5.5 tonnes of relief material and conducting high-risk extractions from locations where landing was impossible,” the Indian High Commission said.

“Several severely injured survivors were winched up from a remote area near Ganthuna and flown to Rivisanda for emergency treatment,” it added.

In close coordination with the Sri Lankan Air Force, the Indian Air Force IFC 1885 flew essential relief to Poramadulla and transported personnel from Nuwara Eliya to support ongoing response efforts.

“The IAF IFC 1875 helicopter further intensified these operations by airlifting more than 2,000 kilograms of essential goods to Mandaram Nuwara and evacuating people in urgent need of medical care,” it said.

In Kotmale, 24 individuals — including women and children — were safely rescued and transported to Colombo, it added.

On Tuesday, IAF helicopters airlifted more than eight tonnes of relief material and evacuated 65 stranded people, including children, pregnant women and those critically ill. Citizens of Germany and Australia were among those evacuated yesterday.

In a major reinforcement of medical assistance, the IAF C-17 Globemaster aircraft brought in a rapidly deployable, modular, field hospital, complete with ambulances, trauma care units and operation theatres to Sri Lanka on Tuesday, along with 73 medical personnel.

The Indian High Commission in a social media post said India has sent a “rapidly deployable field hospital” along with over 70 medical personnel to provide urgently required healthcare support in disaster-affected areas.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in a social media post on Wednesday expressed appreciation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India’s steadfast support to Sri Lanka.

“India’s prompt assistance under the SAGAR-BANDHU initiative underscores the depth of our partnership and the enduring goodwill between our nations,” he said.

India launched Operation Sagar Bandhu last month, a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) initiative, to aid Sri Lanka in its recovery from the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.