India's Lifeline: Humanitarian Aid to Sri Lanka Amid Cyclone Crisis
Humanitarian Efforts Under Operation Sagar Bandhu
Colombo: India has ramped up its humanitarian efforts in Sri Lanka through Operation Sagar Bandhu, deploying extensive air, sea, and ground resources to provide urgent relief to those impacted by Cyclone Ditwah, as reported by the Indian High Commission on Wednesday.
The nation is currently facing severe flooding, landslides, and significant infrastructure damage, which has left numerous districts cut off and overwhelmed the country's disaster response capabilities.
As of Wednesday evening, the death toll has reached at least 479, with 350 individuals reported missing due to the catastrophic weather events that began on November 16.
According to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), over 1.6 million people and 455,405 families have been affected by this disaster.
The Indian High Commission stated that rescue teams from India have been conducting large-scale evacuations across various districts, ensuring the safety of vulnerable residents from hard-to-reach areas.
In Puttalam, personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been rescuing those in distress, including expectant mothers and individuals needing urgent medical care, while also delivering essential supplies to nearly 800 stranded individuals through challenging door-to-door operations.
In the central region, Indian Air Force helicopters have been executing critical missions, air-dropping over 5.5 tonnes of relief supplies and performing high-risk rescues from locations where landing was not feasible.
Several severely injured survivors were airlifted from a remote area near Ganthuna to Rivisanda for emergency medical treatment.
In collaboration with the Sri Lankan Air Force, the Indian Air Force's IFC 1885 has been transporting vital relief to Poramadulla and moving personnel from Nuwara Eliya to assist with ongoing relief efforts.
The IAF IFC 1875 helicopter has intensified operations by airlifting over 2,000 kilograms of essential goods to Mandaram Nuwara and evacuating individuals in urgent need of medical attention.
In Kotmale, 24 individuals, including women and children, were safely rescued and transported to Colombo.
On Tuesday, IAF helicopters successfully airlifted more than eight tonnes of relief supplies and evacuated 65 stranded individuals, including children and pregnant women, with citizens from Germany and Australia among those rescued.
In a significant boost to medical support, an IAF C-17 Globemaster aircraft delivered a rapidly deployable, modular field hospital, complete with ambulances, trauma care units, and operating theatres to Sri Lanka on Tuesday, along with 73 medical personnel.
The Indian High Commission shared on social media that India has dispatched a "rapidly deployable field hospital" along with over 70 medical staff to provide essential healthcare in the disaster-affected regions.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India's unwavering support during this crisis in a social media post on Wednesday.
He noted that India's swift assistance under the SAGAR-BANDHU initiative highlights the strength of the partnership and the lasting goodwill between the two nations.
Operation Sagar Bandhu was initiated by India last month as a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) initiative to support Sri Lanka's recovery from the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.