Cyclone Ditwah: 400 stranded Indian passengers evacuated from Sri Lanka

Colombo: At least 400 Indian nationals stranded at the Colombo airport following the extreme weather conditions in cyclone-hit Sri Lanka, were sent back home on Sunday.

Around 150 of them were sent back to Delhi aboard flight C130 while 250 of them were sent to Trivandrum on flight IL 76 from the Bandaranaike International Airport here, Sri Lankan officials said.

Both the aircraft had arrived in Sri Lanka on Saturday carrying food and humanitarian aid for flash floods victims.

As Sri Lanka battled the aftermath of the powerful cyclone Ditwah, Acting High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Dr Satyanjal Pandey, met stranded compatriots at the Colombo airport on Saturday.

The Indian High Commission provided food and water to those who needed it, and also assured the stranded Indians that New Delhi will facilitate their swift travel back home.

Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency throughout the island nation after Cyclone Ditwah caused widespread devastation as it left a trail of destruction and damage to infrastructure.

There was widespread flooding, landslides and severe service disruptions, including flight cancellations. The island nation is a popular tourist destination for Indians.

As at 2 am on Sunday, the latest data from Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC) showed that at least 212 people have been killed and 218 missing since Thursday across the island nation in cyclone-induced rainfall, floods and landslides.

Earlier on Sunday, the Indian High Commission here said in a post on X: “@Indiainsl is facilitating the swift return home of the Indian passengers stranded in. Evacuation flights by @IAF_MCC and commercial airlines (are) being facilitated today. Every stranded Indian will reach home at the earliest.”

Any distressed Indian citizen at the airports or any part of Sri Lanka in need of assistance may reach out to the emergency No [phone]. (For WhatsApp also),” it said.