THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, Nov 29: India on Saturday dispatched a specialized team of 80 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel along with trained rescue dogs to Sri Lanka to assist in relief and rescue efforts following severe flooding caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
The teams departed from Hindon Airbase near Delhi around 4 am aboard an IL-76 IAF aircraft, carrying essential rescue equipment including inflatable boats, hydraulic cutting tools, communication devices, and first-aid kits.
The deployment is part of India’s Operation Sagar Bandhu, aimed at providing urgent support to its southern neighbour during one of the worst natural disasters to hit the island nation in recent years.
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Torrential rains and floods have killed at least 123 people in Sri Lanka, with another 130 reported missing, while more than 200,000 individuals from 61,000 families have been affected. Officials in Kandy and Badulla districts indicate that the actual death toll could be significantly higher, with landslides leaving many unaccounted for.
Authorities have also warned residents in low-lying areas along the banks of the Kelani River, which flows into the Indian Ocean near Colombo, to evacuate as flooding worsens.
Cyclone Ditwah’s impact has left widespread destruction, damaging infrastructure and cutting off access in multiple regions, particularly in the central hills of Kandy and Badulla.
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Within India, the NDRF has deployed 14 additional teams to vulnerable coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, including Villupuram, Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai, and Mayiladuthurai.
10 more teams have been sent to Chennai from NDRF bases in Pune and Vadodara, with extra contingents ready for Puducherry, as authorities remain on high alert following the cyclone’s cross-border effects.
