Picture : @IndiainSL/X
Sri Lanka grappled with one of its worst disasters as cyclonic storm Ditwah wreaked havoc, causing floods and landslides that left more than 80 dead, amid a trail of destruction and damage to infrastructure.
Accoording to media reports, India launched ‘Operation Sagar Bandhu’ to assist Sri Lanka in its hour of crisis, and the first tranche of relief materials was handed over after the consignments were transported by the Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and frontline ship INS Udaigiri to the island nation.
The relief came as Sri Lankan authorities warned of an unprecedented disaster situation in the Western Province from Friday night due to rising water levels in the Kelani and Attanagalu rivers.
Both Colombo and the next most populous district of Gampaha are under severe threat, prompting officials to urge residents in vulnerable areas to evacuate, they said.
#OperationSagarBandhu saving lives.
🇮🇳 National Disaster Response Force @NDRFHQ personnel who arrived in 🇱🇰 earlier today, are actively conducting rescue operations in inaccessible areas affected by flooding, bringing stranded people to safety. Evacuations to continue overnight… pic.twitter.com/GBzsrek9YX
— India in Sri Lanka (@IndiainSL) November 29, 2025
Late on Friday, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) confirmed more than 80 people have died, while 34 remain missing in the past three days, as rescue operations intensify, according to news portal NewsFirst.lk.
The DMC said as many as 1,48,603 individuals from 44,192 families were suffering due to widespread flooding, while 5,024 families (approximately 14,000 people) had taken shelter in 195 emergency centres.
