IAF intensifies efforts to provide humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka

The Indian Air Force on Sunday intensified its efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu, while bringing back more than 400 stranded Indians from Colombo in two transport aircraft.

- OUR CORRESPONDENT

A C-130J aircraft carrying a group of Indians landed at Hindan in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad, while an IL-76 aircraft landed at Trivandrum in Kerala on Sunday, a senior official said.

Bolstering its efforts to provide humanitarian aid in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, which has left a trail of destruction in the island nation, the Indian Air Force (IAF), in close coordination with Sri Lankan authorities, executed major rescue and evacuation missions in the landslide-hit Kotmale region, which remains completely isolated due to road disruptions.

‘The IAF helicopters evacuated 45 stranded individuals, including six critical cases and four infants, and transported them safely to Colombo, officials said.

Among those rescued were 12 Indians and a large group of foreign nationals from multiple countries, alongside Sri Lankan citizens, they said.

To strengthen relief operations on the ground, the IAF also airlifted 57 Sri Lankan Army personnel into the affected zone to support the ongoing rescue and clearance efforts, the IAF said. Earlier in the day, the IAF said it had positioned Mi-17 V5 helicopters in Colombo for swift relief operations.