Colombo, Nov 29: The Indian Air Force on Saturday delivered 21 tonnes of relief material along with over 80 NDRF personnel and eight tonnes of equipment to Sri Lanka to assist those displaced by devastating floods.
“In the wake of the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah across Sri Lanka, India swiftly launched Operation Sagar Bandhu to bolster relief efforts,” the Indian Air Force said in a social media post.
The Indian Air Force promptly deployed one C-130 and one IL-76 from Hindon Air Base on the night of intervening night of Friday and Saturday, airlifting 21 tonnes of relief material along with over 80 NDRF personnel and eight tonnes of equipment. Essential rations and critical supplies have been delivered to support affected communities, it said.
“Reaffirming the spirit of Neighbourhood first, India stands firmly with Sri Lanka in this hour of need,” it added.
A C-130 aircraft carrying essential food items and sanitary supplies reached Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport airport at around 1.30 am and was received by the Indian High Commission officials and Sri Lanka Air Force officers.
India on Friday 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.
Meanwhile, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) has confirmed at least 123 people have died and another 130 missing till 9 am on Saturday in floods and landslides across the island nation.
More than 200,000 people from 61,000 families have been affected by the disaster, it said.
However, Central Province’s Kandy relief officials said the death toll could be much higher as the toll in the Kandy district itself had reached more than 50 by late Friday night and remained unverified officially.
Badulla in the central hills is another district badly hit by landslides with many people missing and over 35 dead.
Sri Lanka is facing one of its worst disasters as cyclonic storm Ditwah wreaked havoc, causing floods and landslides that left a trail of destruction and damage to infrastructure.
Cyclone Ditwah caused spills in all major reservoirs and rivers with authorities warning people to evacuate.
The weather bureau said more rains over 200 mm were expected to fall although Ditwah may exit the island by late Saturday.
Nearly 35 per cent of the areas in the island are without power since early Friday with around 7 million of the state power entity Ceylon Electricity Board customers affected.
The restoration work has been hampered by the relentless rains and floods. (PTI)
