‘Operation Sagar Bandhu’: India flies 12 tonnes of aid to flood-hit Sri Lanka; island battered by Cyclone Ditwah

External affairs curate S Jaishankar connected Saturday announced that a C-130J craft carrying astir 12 tonnes of humanitarian assistance has landed successful Colombo. The transportation is portion of India’s Operation Sagar Bandhu, launched connected Friday to assistance Sri Lanka successful the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, which has truthful acold claimed 80 lives.Sharing the update connected X, Jaishankar wrote, “#OperationSagarBandhu unfolds. @IAF_MCC C-130J level carrying astir 12 tons of humanitarian aid, including tents, tarpaulins, blankets, hygiene kits, and ready-to-eat nutrient items, lands successful Colombo.”

India initiated Operation Sagar Bandhu arsenic portion of its contiguous effect to assistance cyclone-affected areas. The archetypal alleviation consignments were transported by the Indian Navy’s craft bearer INS Vikrant and frontline warship INS Udaigiri, which arrived successful Colombo connected Friday and handed implicit supplies to Sri Lankan authorities.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, successful a station connected X, conveyed his condolences to the radical of Sri Lanka, expressing grief implicit the lives mislaid successful the cyclone and extending solidarity with India’s “closest maritime neighbour.” He noted that India had swiftly dispatched alleviation supplies and captious Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) instrumentality nether the operation.

“We basal acceptable to supply much assistance and assistance arsenic the concern evolves,” said PM Modi, adding that the enactment was guided by India’s Neighbourhood First argumentation and Vision MAHASAGAR.

This comes arsenic India bids to connection assistance Sri Lanka has been reeling from floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah. The land federation is facing 1 of its astir terrible disasters successful caller years, with wide harm to infrastructure and rising casualties. According to PTI, much than 80 radical person died arsenic the tempest unleashed dense rains crossed aggregate provinces. The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) separately reported 61 deaths and 25 radical missing, portion astir 44,000 individuals from implicit 12,000 families person been affected since adverse upwind began connected November 16.The situation intensified arsenic Sri Lanka’s Western Province faced warnings of an “unprecedented catastrophe situation” owing to rising h2o levels successful the Kelani and Attanagalu rivers. Several districts successful the Northern, North-Central, Central, North-Western, Sabaragamuwa and Western Provinces are expected to person implicit 200 mm of rain, according to the Sri Lankan Meteorological Department. Rainfall supra 150 mm is besides apt successful parts of Trincomalee, Badulla, Galle and Matara.

The DMC reported 4 homes destroyed and much than 600 partially damaged successful the ongoing deluge.(With inputs from agencies)