India deployed specialised rescue teams and emergency supplies after Cyclone Ditwah led to major flooding and landslides in Sri Lanka’s eastern region.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has evacuated more than 300 Indian nationals who were stranded in Sri Lanka amid severe flooding triggered by Cyclone Ditwah that has killed over 330 people and affected more than 1.3 million across the island. The final group of 104 stranded Indians was brought back on Monday when the IAF aircraft landed in Thiruvananthapuram at around 6:30 am.

Notably, the IAF’s IL-76 and C-130J heavy-lift carriers, which had earlier transported rescue supplies and NDRF teams to Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu, were also used to bring back stranded passengers.

India's rescue & relief mission

India deployed specialised rescue teams and emergency supplies after Cyclone Ditwah led to major flooding and landslides in Sri Lanka’s eastern region.

Along with the personnel, nearly 21 tonnes of essential items, including tents, blankets, mattresses, dignity kits and other urgently needed material, were flown in last weekend to help the worst-affected communities.

The IAF has now evacuated more than 300 stranded Indian citizens.

In multiple missions, IAF helicopters also airlifted 57 Sri Lankan Army personnel from Diyathalawa Army Camp and Colombo to Kotmale, according to a press release. Kotmale, located in Sri Lanka’s central province, is a landslide-hit area that remains fully cut off by road.

“A total of 55 civilians, including Indians, foreign nationals and Sri Lankan survivors, were successfully evacuated to Colombo. Operating round the clock, the two Indian helicopters have flown more than 12 sorties for the rescue operations so far,” the release said.

Operation Sagar Bandhu

In a statement, the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka said that India has stepped up its support for Sri Lanka’s rescue work and expanded operations across several affected regions as part of Operation Sagar Bandhu.

Chetak helicopters from INS Vikrant have moved people to safer locations, while NDRF teams were working in Sri Lanka’s Puttalam and Badulla areas, which remain badly affected and cut off.

Sri Lanka floods

The death toll from floods and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah rose to 334 on Sunday, according to Sri Lanka’s disaster agency, with many people still missing.

It is the worst natural disaster to strike the island in 20 years. Officials said the scale of destruction in the badly hit central region is becoming clearer only now, as workers clear roads blocked by fallen trees and mudslides.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who declared a state of emergency, has promised to rebuild the affected areas with international assistance.