Sri Lanka, Dec 03 : As part of India’s ongoing humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu, the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday delivered critical relief supplies and airlifted personnel to support response operations in flood affected regions.
An IAF helicopter delivered essential supplies to Poramadulla in Kandy district and transported personnel from Nuwara Eliya to bolster ongoing relief efforts. The mission also included evacuating vulnerable civilians: a cardiac patient from Irunguwatta and a pregnant woman with children from Kotmale, safely transporting them to Colombo. Additional relief supplies were delivered to Mandaram Nuwara.
In total, the IAF transported 2,000 kg of essential materials, evacuated 17 people from Irunguwatta, and rescued 24 people from Kotmale, including a pregnant woman and children. Operations continued with Mi-17 helicopters, airlifting over eight tonnes of relief material and rescuing 65 survivors, including foreign nationals and critically ill patients.
A C-17 Globemaster aircraft also delivered a Para Field Hospital with medical equipment and 73 personnel from Agra, landing in Colombo at 5:45 PM IST, strengthening healthcare support in disaster-affected areas. India has deployed two rapidly deployable field hospitals along with 70 medical and support staff, providing urgent assistance to flood-hit communities.
The humanitarian support comes as Sri Lanka grapples with severe weather following Cyclone Ditwah, which has claimed 410 lives and affected 1.4 million people from over 407,000 families, according to the Disaster Management Centre.
Meanwhile, India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, visited flood-hit Sedawatta near Colombo, reviewing NDRF rescue operations. Teams are conducting door-to-door evacuations and distributing essentials in areas submerged under 6 to 8 feet of water, particularly around Nadeegama on the banks of the Kelani River.