Colombo, Nov 28 (IANS) The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka said on Friday that ‘Operation Sagar Bandhu’ is underway as India has delivered urgent Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) support to Sri Lanka following Cyclone Ditwah.
The Indian High Commission stated that India has provided 4.5 tonnes of dry rations, 2 tonnes of fresh rations, and other essential relief items brought by Indian Naval Ship (INS) Vikrant and INS Udaygiri to assist impacted families.
“Operation Sagar Bandhu is underway, delivering urgent HADR support to Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah. India extends urgent HADR support to Sri Lanka in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah. India has provided 4.5 tonnes of dry rations, 2 tonnes of fresh rations, and other essential relief items from INS Vikrant and INS Udaygiri to assist affected families. In this challenging moment, India stands firmly with the people of Sri Lanka, reaffirming its unwavering commitment to the Neighbourhood First policy,” Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka posted on X.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences to the people of Sri Lanka who have lost their loved ones due to Cyclone Ditwah and announced that India has sent relief materials and HADR support to Sri Lanka under ‘Operation Sagar Bandhu’.
“My heartfelt condolences to the people of Sri Lanka who have lost their loved ones due to Cyclone Ditwah. I pray for the safety, comfort and swift recovery of all affected families. In solidarity with our closest maritime neighbour, India has urgently dispatched relief materials and vital HADR support under Operation Sagar Bandhu,” PM Modi wrote in a post on X.
“We stand ready to provide more aid and assistance as the situation evolves. Guided by India’s Neighbourhood First policy and Vision MAHASAGAR, India continues to stand firmly with Sri Lanka in its hour of need,” he added.
As many as 56 people have died, 14 have been injured and 21 are missing due to incidents caused by Cyclonic Storm Ditwah, Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC) has confirmed, local media reported.
According to the DMC, 43,991 people from 12,313 families have been impacted by the extreme weather conditions, Sri Lanka’s ‘Daily Mirror’ reported. A total of four houses have been completely destroyed while 666 houses have been partially damaged in Sri Lanka due to the storm.
Sri Lanka continues to face severe weather conditions as heavy rainfall, rising floodwaters and landslides impacted daily life of people in various parts of the country, as per the report.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has ordered the Army to provide assistance to those affected by the current adverse weather conditions. More than 20,500 Army personnel have been deployed to conduct rescue operations in Sri Lanka.
Dissanayake has directed the Tourism Authority to take necessary steps to provide essential services to foreign tourists facing problems due to the prevailing emergency disaster situation in the country, Daily Mirror reported.
More than 65,000 power outages have been reported in Sri Lanka, of which nearly 26,000 have already been restored. According to the airport authorities, 15 inbound flights have been diverted from Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) since 10:55 pm on Thursday due to unsafe landing conditions caused by severe weather. The flights were rerouted to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA), Trivandrum, and Cochin.
Issuing a cyclone alert for north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday morning stated that the cyclonic storm Ditwah over coastal Sri Lanka and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 10 kmph during past six hours and lay centered at 0830 hrs IST of today, the 28th November 2025 over the same region, about 40 km southwest of Sri Lanka’s Trincomalee. 100 km northwest of Batticaloa, 320km south-southeast of Karaikal (India), 430 km south-southeast of Puducherry and 530 km south of Chennai.
“It is very likely to continue to move north-northwestwards across Sri Lanka coast and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal and reach over southwest Bay of Bengal near North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts by early morning of 30th November,” the IMD stated.
–IANS
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