India has completed the evacuation of all its nationals stranded in Sri Lanka following Cyclone Ditwah, with a reported 400 evacuated from the island in total.
The Indian High Commission in Colombo confirmed that the last group of 104 stranded passengers was airlifted early on Monday morning. The group departed Bandaranaike International Airport aboard an Indian Air Force aircraft and landed in Thiruvananthapuram at around 6.30 a.m.
In a statement, the mission said India had “intensified its assistance to Sri Lanka’s rescue efforts”, deploying aircraft, helicopters, and specialist disaster-response teams across several of the worst affected districts.
The evacuation of the final group follows a large airlift the previous day on special IAF flights.
A C-130 aircraft transported around 150 passengers to Delhi, while an IL-76 carried another 250 to Thiruvananthapuram. These aircraft had flown into Colombo on Saturday delivering food supplies and humanitarian aid to communities inundated by flash floods. Authorities in Kerala said that NORKA Roots organised special buses to take evacuees arriving in Thiruvananthapuram onwards to their home destinations.
Through the day, IAF helicopters also conducted major rescue missions in landslide-hit Kotmale, an area with no road access due to severe weather.
A total of 45 people, including six critical casualties and four infants, were airlifted to Colombo. Among those rescued were twelve Indian nationals, several foreign tourists, and Sri Lankans trapped by rising water.
INS Vikrant and NDRF join relief missions
The Indian Navy’s INS Vikrant, currently docked in Colombo, has deployed Chetak helicopters to airlift stranded residents to safer locations.
Meanwhile, India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), which arrived in Colombo on Sunday, began operations in Kochikade alongside Sri Lankan authorities before moving to Puttalam and Badulla. The High Commission stated that NDRF teams were assisting families affected by severe flooding and working to ensure immediate safety for those in isolated communities.
Indian defence officials confirmed that MI-17 V medium-lift helicopters from the Southern Air Command remain deployed for rescue missions across Sri Lanka, with additional flights scheduled as weather allows.
India’s Acting High Commissioner, Dr Satyanjal Pandey, met stranded passengers at Colombo airport on Saturday. The High Commission provided food and water while coordinating onward evacuation arrangements.
In a message on X, the mission said:
“@Indiainsl is facilitating the swift return home of the Indian passengers stranded in Sri Lanka. Evacuation flights by @IAF_MCC and commercial airlines are being facilitated today. Every stranded Indian will reach home at the earliest.”
An emergency helpline number, +94 773727832, has been activated for Indians seeking assistance anywhere in the country.
