Cyclone Ditwah: Sri Lankan Minister Thanks Delhi For Help, Says Stranded Indians Will Be Back Soon

Last Updated:November 30, 2025, 17:46 IST

“India has supported us a lot. India sent rescue teams, food items, etc...We are also solving the issue of stranded Indians,” Vijitha Herath, Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, said

IAF and NDRF personnel in cyclone-hit Sri Lanka. (PTI/X)

Vijitha Herath, Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, in an exclusive interview with News18, thanked the Indian authorities for sending help in the aftermath of catastrophic floods, landslides and devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah that killed over 200 people. He also said efforts are being made to ensure the returns of Indians stranded in the country.

“India has supported us a lot. India sent rescue teams, food items, etc. We had good conversation with Indian authorities," Herath said.

A total of 9,98,918 people from 2,73,606 families were affected by the extreme weather, Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said. India’s Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, along with the Indian Air Force(IAF), continue to assist Sri Lankan authorities to save precious lives on a war footing. “@NDRFHQ personnel, in close coordination with local authorities, continue to undertake relief operations in Sri Lanka," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar posted on social media.

“We are also solving the issue of stranded Indians. We faced difficulty because of bad weather. We are coordinating departure. We are managing the airport. The situation is likely to be normal in 2-3 days, after which we can again welcome tourists," he said.

Elaborating on the situation on ground, he said, “Sri Lanka has appealed for assistance from international community after the cyclone. The death toll has exceeded 200. Search and rescue operations are underway. Some provinces like central, north central province, Anuradhapura are affected."

India sent two urban search and rescue teams comprising 80 Disaster Response Force personnel to the Island nation under Operation Sagar Bandhu, reaffirming the spirit of ‘Neighbourhood First.’ In a daring operation, IAF helicopters undertook a hybrid rescue mission to extricate stranded passengers, including Indians, from a restricted zone.

“A Garud commando was winched down to guide the group through a cross-country route to a pre-briefed helipad at Kotmale, from where 24 passengers — including Indians, foreign nationals and Sri Lankans — were evacuated to Colombo," the Indian Air Force posted on social media on Sunday. In a parallel effort, three critical casualties were airlifted to Colombo for immediate medical attention, it said. The IAF team also airlifted “five teams of Sri Lankan Army personnel (40 troops)" from Diyathalawa Army Camp to the landslide-affected Kotmale region to support relief operations.

Two Chetak helicopters on board the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant also joined the rescue efforts.

In an extraordinary display of courage and grit, a family of four stranded on a rooftop was rescued by a Chetak team on Saturday.

“A family of four stranded on a rooftop was rescued by a Chetak helicopter from @IN_R11Vikrant on 29 November 2025. They were safely airlifted and brought to a secure location. #OperationSagarBandhu continues as India stands with the people of Sri Lanka," the Indian High Commission in Colombo posted on social media. The IAF has also positioned Mi-17 V5 helicopters in Colombo for swift Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.

“IAF transport aircraft are earmarked for large-scale evacuation of Indian nationals, with multiple missions planned from Trivandrum and Hindan," the IAF said. Alongside evacuation, essential relief material, including Bhishm cubes and medical supplies, is also being airlifted to support affected communities, it added. Two transport aircraft of the IAF – C-130J and IL-76 – delivered nearly 21 tonnes of relief material in Colombo on Saturday as part of India’s humanitarian assistance extended to Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu.

Also, INS Sukanya, carrying more humanitarian aid, has left Visakhapatnam and is expected to reach Sri Lanka soon, officials said on Saturday. According to an official gazette released by the Sri Lankan government dated Friday and released on Saturday, the state of emergency has been declared throughout the island.

With the state of emergency, the government has moved to provide the district secretaries with discretion of expenditure up to 50 million Sri Lankan rupees.

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