NEW DELHI: At least 80 people have died and many remain missing till Friday night in Sri Lanka, which is bearing the brunt of massive destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah. With torrential rains, landslides and floods displacing thousands in the island nation, India has launched a swift humanitarian response for the island nation.
New Delhi has rushed emergency relief under Operation Sagar Bandhu, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveying condolences and stressing India’s commitment to stand by its closest maritime neighbour in its hour of distress.
By Friday evening, Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre said the cyclone had affected 43,991 people. Many regions of the country remain submerged and inaccessible, with officials warning that rising water levels in the Kelani and Attanagalu rivers pose a grave threat to Colombo and the populous Gampaha district. Outages have hit nearly a third of the region, and two major hydropower plants have been shut down.
Responding to the escalating crisis, India has dispatched 4.5 tonnes of dry rations and 2 tonnes of fresh rations, including staple foods, ready-to-eat meals, dairy products. and other essential provisions. Additional survival supplies have also been handed over. The relief consignments were delivered by INS Vikrant and INS Udayagiri, both docked in Sri Lanka, an official release said.
Ditwah is likely to reach southwest Bay of Bengal near north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh by November 30, IMD said.