India launches Operation Sagar Bandhu to restore road connectivity in cyclone-hit Sri Lanka

Key facts

• Operation Sagar Bandhu is India’s humanitarian mission delivering rescue, medical, and relief assistance to Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah.
• A second Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster landed in Colombo carrying Bailey bridge units and a 25-member team of engineers and medical experts.
• Indian field engineers who arrived with Bailey Bridge units have begun reconnaissance and restoration work on key routes damaged by the cyclone.
• Indian Air Force helicopters are conducting ongoing rescue operations near Kotmale.
• Cyclone Ditwah made landfall in Sri Lanka on November 28, causing severe flooding, heavy rainfall, and landslides across multiple districts.
• High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India, Mahishini Colonne, stated that more than 400 people have lost their lives due to the cyclone.