Pakistani national among those rescued by Indian relief mission in cyclone-hit Sri Lanka: Report

Cyclone Ditwah has been wreaking havoc in Sri Lanka

India’s relief mission in cyclone-hit Sri Lanka evacuated several stranded passengers, including a Pakistani national, as part of ongoing operations following the devastation caused by Cyclone ‘Ditwah’, News18 reported.

Mi-17 helicopters that were deployed under the Indian Air Force’s ‘Operation Sagar Bandhu’ transported multiple people trapped in affected areas that have been adversely hit by the cyclone.

Those rescued in the first phase included citizens of Germany, South Africa, Slovenia and the United Kingdom.

In the next phase, the Indian Army evacuated additional foreign nationals, among them a Pakistani citizen, along with people from Poland, Belarus, Iran, Australia and Bangladesh. Four infants were also flown out to safety, the report by News18 said.

Apart from that, five Sri Lankan Army teams, which include 40 personnel, have been airlifted from Diyathalawa Army Camp to Kotmale to aid in the areas that have been severely hit by landslides.

The people who have been critically injured have been shifted to Colombo so that they can recieve urgent medical care, media reports said.

Sri Lankan officials said 400 Indians stranded due to the cyclone were also evacuated. Of them, 150 flew to Delhi on board a C-130 aircraft, while 250 travelled to Trivandrum on an IL-76 from Bandaranaike International Airport.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka continued relief and rescue operations on Sunday with India’s assistance after the catastrophic flooding and landslides caused by the cyclone.

According to updated figures by Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC), 212 people have died and 218 remain missing since the weather system struck the island on Thursday. Officials warned the numbers could rise as teams reach isolated regions in central and eastern districts.