Cyclone Ditwah leaves more than 330 dead in Sri Lanka; India rescues stranded nationals

According to data released by Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Center (DMC) on Sunday night, Cyclone Ditwah has killed 334 people in the country. Since November 16, Ditwah and other extreme weather conditions have caused catastrophic floods and landslides that have left 370 people missing. The cyclone has wreaked havoc throughout the island nation.

According to the DMC, the cyclone's severe weather impacted 11,18,929 individuals from 3,09,607 families.

Authorities in Sri Lanka have been working to lessen the damage, and the island nation has recently issued flood alerts. In Kochikade, Colombo, the NDRF team conducted rescue operations.

The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka wrote on social media, "Working closely with Sri Lankan authorities, they assisted families affected by severe flooding and helped ensure immediate safety."

Due to the Kelani River's dangerously high levels caused by runoff from the upper central hills, Colombo District Secretary Prasanna Ginige issued alerts, turning schools in vulnerable areas into relief centers for displaced residents. In the meantime, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the president of Sri Lanka, proclaimed a state of emergency across the entire island due to the circumstances brought on by Cyclone Ditwah a few days ago.

According to a defense spokesperson, India transported more than 300 Indian nationals who were stranded in Sri Lanka to Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday using Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft.

Indian nationals who were stranded in Colombo were evacuated and taken to Thiruvananthapuram by the Air Force's IL-76 and C-130J aircraft, which had been sent to Sri Lanka to deliver relief supplies following the cyclone disaster.

To make the trip home easier for those who arrived in Thiruvananthapuram, NORKA Roots set up special bus services.

Garud special forces were also stationed on the ground, and MI-17 V medium-lift helicopters from the Southern Air Command headquarters were used for rescue operations in Sri Lanka, according to Defense Ministry sources. The rescue operations in Sri Lanka by the Indian Air Force will go on today as well.