India completes evacuation from Sri Lanka, scales up relief efforts after Cyclone Ditwah

India on Monday completed the evacuation of its stranded citizens from Sri Lanka while simultaneously scaling up its support to Colombo’s rescue and relief efforts following the widespread devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah, officials said.

Under Operation Sagar Bandhu, the last group of 104 Indian nationals stranded at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport was flown to Thiruvananthapuram aboard an Indian Air Force aircraft. The flight landed around 6.30 am, the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka said in a social media post.

In a press release, the High Commission confirmed that India has intensified assistance across multiple disaster-hit regions, deploying aircraft, helicopters and disaster-response teams to bolster Sri Lanka’s overwhelmed rescue operations.

According to the mission, Chetak helicopters from INS Vikrant airlifted several stranded civilians to safer locations. IAF helicopters also carried out extensive search operations in Kotmale, one of the worst-affected areas in the central highlands, where landslides and flooding have cut off all road access.

The release added that National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams that arrived in Colombo on Sunday have already begun operations in Kochikade in coordination with Sri Lankan authorities. Additional NDRF units have been deployed to Puttalam and Badulla, both severely affected and largely inaccessible after days of extreme weather.

The mission said NDRF teams assisted families affected by severe flooding and helped ensure their immediate safety.

Even as relief efforts ramped up, Sri Lanka suffered further tragedy. The Sri Lanka Air Force confirmed the death of a pilot after a Bell 212 helicopter crashed during a relief mission in Wennappuwa on the north-western coast. The helicopter reportedly went down as the pilot attempted to steer away from crowds on the ground and make a water landing to avoid casualties. Five other Air Force personnel remain in critical condition.

Separately, the Sri Lanka Navy reported that five sailors who had gone missing during rescue operations in Chundikulam in the northern province were found dead.

Sri Lanka continues to grapple with widespread flooding, landslides, and infrastructure collapse triggered by Cyclone Ditwah. Several districts remain isolated as communication lines, road networks and essential services remain severely disrupted.

As of Sunday, the country has recorded 334 deaths with 370 people still missing since torrential rains and extreme weather began on November 16.