Operation Sagar Bandhu: Indian Air Force C-17 airlifts a 65-ton Bailey Bridge from Hindan to Colombo, relief assistance continues

COLOMBO: India continues its humanitarian assistance in Sri Lanka through coordinated rescue, medical, and relief operations under Operation Sagar Bandhu, following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah, due to which more than 400 people were also killed in the island nation.

Cyclone Ditwah, which made landfall in Sri Lanka on November 28, has unleashed severe flooding, heavy rainfall and landslides across Lanka, resulting in widespread destruction in several districts. In a swift response to the crisis, India has initiated Operation Sagar Bandhu to deliver urgent relief, including food supplies, medical assistance, rescue support and other essential items to affected areas.

Boosting Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) efforts, an Indian Air Force C-17 has airlifted a 65-ton Bailey Bridge from Hindan to Colombo, according to the Ministry of Defence. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) continued their rescue operation in Srilanka with Indian Air Force Mi-17 V5 helicopters delivering nine tons of relief material, and rescuing three survivors from affected areas.

“An Indian Air Force C-17 has airlifted a 65-ton Bailey Bridge from Hindan to Colombo, boosting ongoing HADR efforts in Sri Lanka. While NDRF teams continued life-saving operations, Indian Air Force Mi-17 V5 helicopters carried out sustained missions, delivering 9 T of relief material and rescuing 3 survivors from affected areas”, the Ministry of Defence said in a post on X.

Op Sagar Bandhu | 03 Dec 25

An Indian Air Force C-17 has airlifted a 65-ton Bailey Bridge from Hindan to Colombo, boosting ongoing HADR efforts in Sri Lanka.

While @NDRFHQ teams continued life-saving operations, @IAF_MCC Mi-17 V5 helicopters carried out sustained missions,… pic.twitter.com/QjafKYYJhZ

— Ministry of Defence, Government of India (@SpokespersonMoD) December 3, 2025

Earlier, High Commission of India in Sri Lanka also updated about New Delhi’s assistance in rescue operations. In a post on X, the mission said, “In close coordination with Sri Lankan armed forces, @NDRFHQ teams continue rescuing stranded people from critical areas, providing urgent assistance and relief to those affected”.

It added that NDRF personnel have evacuated vulnerable individuals, including a visually challenged senior citizen and an injured woman, and also recovered a deceased person beneath compacted debris. India has also deployed air and medical assets to support on-ground operations.

In another post, the mission said, “The @IAF_MCC C-17 arrived in Sri Lanka with a self-contained, modular field hospital, medical teams, and support vehicles strengthening ongoing #OperationSagarBandhu and medical relief efforts on the ground.”

High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India, Mahishini Colonne, said more than 400 people had lost their lives due to the cyclone and that relief and rescue operations were still under way. “We are grateful to India, for being the first responder, as India has always been,” she said, noting that India had assisted Sri Lanka during the tsunami, the economic crisis and now the cyclone.

The scale and speed of India’s ongoing support reflect its commitment to assisting neighbouring nations in times of crisis, consistent with its Neighbourhood First policy and MAHASAGAR outlook. (ANI)