In the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, which has caused severe flooding, loss of life and widespread disruption across Sri Lanka, India launched Operation Sagar Bandhu on November 28 to provide urgent Search & Rescue and Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR) support to the closest maritime neighbour, when 53 tons of emergency relief were handed to Colombo.
India rescued nationals from multiple countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh and the United Kingdom.
“In coordination with the Sri Lankan authorities, the Government of India immediately handed 9.5 tons of emergency rations from two Indian Navy Ships in Colombo; deployed three Indian Air Force aircrafts for airlifting another 31.5 tons of relief materials including tents, tarpaulins, blankets, hygiene kits, ready-to-eat food items, medicines and surgical equipment, two BHISHM cubes along with 5 persons medical team for on-site training, and 80 persons special Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to assist in rescue efforts; and despatched another 12 tons of relief supplies on-board Indian Navy Ship Sukanya,” reaad a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.
A total of 53 tons of relief material has been handed over.
In coordination with the Sri Lankan Air Force, Chetak helicopters from INS Vikrant and MI-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force conducted extensive rescue operations, airlifting stranded people, including pregnant women, infants, and those critically injured.
“Rescued persons included nationals of Sri Lanka, India, Germany, Slovenia, United Kingdom, South Africa, Poland, Belarus, Iran, Australia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh,” read a statement issued by the Indian government.
NDRF teams continue to carry out search-and-rescue operations in various severely affected and isolated regions of Sri Lanka, assisting flood-hit families and ensuring their immediate safety. Over 150 persons have been rescued and assisted in these combined operations, which are continuing.
Evacuation of Indian nationals stranded due to Cyclone Ditwah was also undertaken via special Indian Air Force flights as well as commercial flights, with over 2000 stranded Indians already brought back.
Guided by India’s Neighbourhood First policy and Vision MAHASAGAR, India continues to be the First Responder, standing firmly in solidarity with the Government and people of Sri Lanka in this time of need, and remains committed to supporting the on-going rescue, relief, and early recovery efforts.
Thanking India for the support, Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath wrote on X: ” Thank you, my friend @DrSJaishankar, for the assistance at this hard time.”
Sri Lanka is facing one of its worst flood disasters in two decades, with nearly one million people affected and more than 400 reported dead or missing after Cyclone Ditwah unleashed catastrophic flooding and landslides across the island.
According to the UN relief coordination office, OCHA, 998,918 people across all 25 districts have now been affected, with 212 deaths reported and 218 people missing. More than 180,000 people from over 51,000 families are sheltering in 1,094 government-run safety centres as search and rescue efforts continue.
Cyclone Ditwah made landfall on 28 November before moving back over the Bay of Bengal, triggering some of the most severe flooding Sri Lanka has seen since the early 2000s.
The hardest-hit districts include Gampaha, Colombo, Puttalam and Mannar, as well as Trincomalee and Batticaloa, while deadly landslides in the central hill country have devastated Kandy, Badulla and Matale.
