Daijiworld Media Network – Colombo

Colombo, Nov 29: An Indian Air Force C-130 aircraft carrying emergency relief materials for flood-affected communities in Sri Lanka arrived at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport early Saturday morning. The aircraft, carrying essential food items and sanitary supplies, touched down at around 1.30 am and was received by officials from the Indian High Commission and the Sri Lanka Air Force.

India launched Operation Sagar Bandhu on Friday to assist Sri Lanka amid the ongoing crisis. The first tranche of relief materials had already been transported by the Indian Navy through INS Vikrant and the frontline ship INS Udaigiri.

Sri Lanka is grappling with one of its worst natural disasters as Cyclone Ditwah triggered widespread floods and landslides. The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) confirmed 69 deaths as of Saturday morning, with 34 people still missing. Over 200,000 people from 61,000 families have been affected.

Officials from the Central Province, particularly Kandy district, warned that the death toll could be higher, with more than 50 fatalities reported there by Friday night. Badulla district in the central hills has also been severely impacted, with over 35 dead and many residents unaccounted for.

Cyclone Ditwah caused major spills in reservoirs and rivers, forcing authorities to issue evacuation orders. The weather bureau forecasted more than 200 mm of rainfall even as the cyclone was expected to move away from the island by late Saturday.

The disaster has left nearly 35 percent of Sri Lanka without power, affecting around 7 million customers of the Ceylon Electricity Board. Restoration efforts have been severely hampered by ongoing rains and flooding, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.