Last week, Cyclone Ditwah unleashed Sri Lanka’s worst natural disaster in more than two decades, after the Indian Ocean tsunami struck in 2004. The devastation from torrential rain, floods, and landslides is still unfolding, with 611 reported dead as of Saturday evening, and at least 213 still missing.

The cyclone battered the entire island, severely impacting 22 of its 25 districts. A United Nations-backed ‘Rapid Needs Assessment’ has flagged a high risk of food insecurity, severe crop damage, and widespread destruction of crucial infrastructure, including railway lines, roads, buildings, and electricity and telecom networks. Primary Health Centres across the nation’s villages and hundreds of schools have also been damaged.

The highest fatalities so far have been reported from Kandy, Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, Kegalle, and Matale districts, located in the island’s central and southern hill country, where a large number of Malaiyaha Tamil estate workers — one of Sri Lanka’s poorest communities — reside and work.

India was the first responder, mobilising its military personnel — particularly the National Disaster Response Force — to support Sri Lankan authorities in rescue efforts across the country, including in inundated and hard-to-access areas. Indian agencies rushed in field hospitals and are helping construct Bailey bridges to restore road access. While several countries are stepping in with financial aid and relief supplies, Sri Lanka has a long road to recovery, as communities affected rebuild their lives and livelihoods ravaged by the catastrophe.

(Text by Meera Srinivasan)

Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha on Saturday (December 6, 2025) met Sri Lankan corporate leaders and reiterated India’s continued support for the cyclone-hit island nation, where the disaster has claimed over 600 lives so far.

Mr. Jha’s meeting with the corporate leaders associated with the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund’ came as Sri Lanka has been grappling with widespread flooding, landslides and severe infrastructure collapse following Cyclone Ditwah.

As many as 607 people have died so far in the disaster, which also left several districts isolated and acutely strained the country’s disaster-response capacity.

Mr. Jha met the corporate leaders to discuss the “way ahead for rehabilitation and recovery”, the Indian High Commission said in an X post.

He also briefed them on the elements of “India‘s response and continued commitment to stand by Sri Lanka in its resurgence from this crisis,” it added.

India was the first country to respond to Sri Lanka’s international appeal for assistance under its Operation Sagar Bandhu.

Its humanitarian assistance has continued across land and air, focusing on both emergency response and sustained medical care, the Indian mission said in a press release.

Since the launch of Operation Sagar Bandhu on November 28, India has provided more than 58 tonnes of relief material including dry rations, tents, tarpaulins, hygiene kits, water purification kits and around 4.5 tonnes of medicines and surgical equipment.

Sting in the tail: on Cyclone Ditwah, its impact

Another 50 tonnes of equipment, including generators, inflatable rescue boats, and Outboard Motors, have been provided, and 130 tonnes of Bailey Bridge units have been airlifted along with 31 engineers to restore critical connectivity.

Two columns of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), comprising 80 experts and K9 units with specially trained dogs, conducted rescue and relief operations, evacuating around 150 stranded persons. A full-fledged field hospital with 78 medical personnel from India is now providing life-saving care in Mahiyanganaya near Kandy.

Indian Air Force at the frontline of aerial operations

Medical centres have also been set up from the BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita and Maitri). Arogya Maitri cubes in the badly hit Ja-Ela and Negombo. INS Vikrant, INS Udaygiri and INS Sukanya have provided immediate rescue and relief assistance to Sri Lanka. Apart from the two Chetak helicopters deployed from INS Vikrant, two heavy-lift MI-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force (IAF) are actively involved in evacuations and airlifting relief material.

Further, about 2,500 stranded Indians were evacuated from Sri Lanka, including more than 400 on IAF aircraft.

The NDRF teams, which returned home on Friday, worked closely with Sri Lankan authorities and conducted extensive search, rescue and relief operations.

The teams evacuated around 150 people, assisted vulnerable groups including pregnant women and the physically challenged, recovered the deceased, distributed food packets, and restored safe water by de-watering contaminated wells. IAF helicopters remain at the frontline of aerial operations, safely airlifting those affected from Kotmale to Katunayake on Thursday for further medical care and support.

On Friday, Indian MI-17 helicopters evacuated 7 survivors and airlifted 9.5 tons of relief material under the coordination of Sri Lankan authorities, the Indian mission said.