(Lanka-e-News -29.Nov.2025, 11.10 PM) India has sharply expanded its humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka as the island nation battles the catastrophic aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, which triggered severe flooding, landslides and widespread displacement across multiple districts. Under Operation Sagar Bandhu, New Delhi has moved swiftly to reinforce relief corridors, dispatch additional aircraft and deploy elite rescue teams as Sri Lanka’s overstretched emergency services struggle to reach devastated communities.
Two Indian Air Force transport aircraft — a C-130J and an IL-76 — touched down in Colombo early this morning carrying approximately 21 tonnes of emergency supplies. Onboard were 80 personnel from India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), among the region’s most experienced rapid-response units. The teams were immediately dispatched to Puttalam and Badulla, two districts facing some of the worst inundation and landslide damage.
India’s naval and air assets also expanded their presence in Sri Lanka’s skies. Two Chetak helicopters operating from INS Vikrant and crewed jointly with Sri Lankan Air Force personnel, conducted four rescue sorties through the day — airlifting stranded residents, ferrying the injured to safety and reaching pockets still inaccessible by road.
By evening, two MI-17V5 helicopters of the Indian Air Force arrived with additional HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) supplies and personnel, further bolstering search-and-rescue operations in regions where rising waters and collapsed infrastructure have left thousands marooned.
The latest consignment — handed over formally by Acting High Commissioner Dr Satyanjal Pandey — includes emergency shelter kits, personal hygiene essentials, lighting equipment, and safety support materials earmarked for families currently housed in makeshift camps and public buildings.
Sri Lankan authorities, grappling with the twin crises of displacement and crippled infrastructure, have welcomed the expanded assistance. Officials note that with several districts still unreachable by road and electricity outages continuing in parts of the country, aerial assistance and heavy-lift capability remain critical.
India, for its part, has signalled that its support will not wane. As the two neighbours work in close coordination, diplomatic officials confirmed that further consignments are en route, making clear that Operation Sagar Bandhu remains in full swing.
For Sri Lanka — battered, waterlogged and bracing for further rain — New Delhi’s rapid mobilisation underscores one of the region’s most enduring strategic dynamics: when the island faces disaster, India moves quickly.
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by (2025-11-29 18:46:15)
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